What Should Have Happened
by Ravensnake
Summary: What I wish would have happened. It's a twist to the story, and flames are accepted. Fiona loses Hewie, but meets someone new, a mysterious guy. AN: See the date this was published. It's old. Severely so, and definitely not my best work. To put it simply, it's CRAP. I'd avoid it if I were you...
1. The Beginning of The End

Haunting Grounds- A twist to the story. What I wished would have happened. No good at summaries, so read if you want to find out. I warn you now, it probably won't make much sense. I'm also going to go a bit out of order, for plot development reasons. In my story, Daniella had chased her throughout the majority of the castle part of the game. Then, Ricardo chased her throughout the rest of the way, through the forest, and, of course the tower. Then, Debilitas will chase her, followed by old and young Lorenzo.

Also, if Ricardo had any common sense at all, he would have put her in the cell right from the beginning, instead of letting her roam around and make it harder for him, right?(btw, flames are accepted.)

Chapter One- The Beginning of the End.

Starts off after the forest, but Hewie isn't there.( I still haven't gotten that ending. If anyone knows how, please tell me.)

"Oh, my head." She sat up, looking around the cell she was in. It was wet and dark. Disgusting, she thought. She stood, having been lying on the ground. Looking down at herself, she noticed that she was just wearing a patient's garb. It was bloodstained near the hem. She walked towards the bars, seeing that there was a key on the desk nearby. She reached for it, but was too far away to get it.

She backed up against the wall and sat down, resigning to her fate. So this would be it, she would have to do whatever it was that wierdo wanted. Why me? she thought. She was just a normal girl, she didn't even understand what that stupid Azoth everyone keeps talking about was. She knew it was something inside her, but what? Essence of life, essence of woman, was what Daniella had said.

She decided to stop thinking about it and wondered where Hewie was. She had heard him yelp in the forest after the gunshot. He couldn't be dead, could he? Suddenly, a door opened, and a young man walked in. He looked like one of the portraits in the Castle Suite, like the youngest of the people pictured there. She was sure this was a younger version of the butler who had gone after her. Probably another clone. He seemed different somehow, though. He didn't have the same lust in his eyes that the other had. He was limping, but trying to put on an emotionless face. His eyes lit up when he saw that Fiona was awake. He came over to the desk by the cell, took the keys, and freed her.

"Hurry, you must leave. He'll be here any minute to take you."(A/N- Just imagine that beautiful voice)

"Who are you?"

"Another clone, but I was made differently. My genes were mixed with someone else's. HE calls me the abomination. I have chosen a different name, as well. My name is Draven." Now that she looked closely, he was significantly different from the portraits. His eyes were darker, his hair was silver, not red. It was pulled back at the nape of his neck. He extended his hand to her and she took it, standing up from the floor. He was wearing medieval clothes, like the ones she wore before. His shirt was plain and white, the sleeves were long and loose, but closed at the wrists. His pants were similar to the sleeves, a bit loose, but closed at the part of his leg a little below the knee, where the pants met his boots. She saw that one of his legs had a bloodstained bandage wrapped around the thigh.

"Are you ok? Your bleeding."

"I'm fine, I've already patched it up myself. Worry about your own safety. He'll be back any minute." He pulled her out by the hand, making her hurry. They exited the room, and began to look for the exit. They headed towards their left, but, before they could continue, Draven turned around and told Fiona to hurry and reach the top of the tower.

"Why?"

"Just do it!" She was startled by his outburst(A/N-like she is by everything else, the wimp) and hurried. As she ran, she heard a thud on the stone floor and a groan of pain. She found a ramp that led up, and ran as fast as she could. She reached the top, and came to a room that was surrounded by neon lights. She went to see the inscriptions, and passed over a circle she supposed was a planet. At that moment, another circle on the floor lit up. She went over to it, but before she reached it, it turned off.

That's when Draven entered the room, holding a piece of wood. Upon closer inspection, Fiona realized it was some sort of miniature bridge.

"What do we need that for?"

"You'll see." He walked over to where she was and signaled her to step on the first circle again. He then went to the next one. He told her to go to another, and they continued like this until they were all lit. As soon as the last circle was lit, stairs spiraled down from the ceiling that led up to another door. They went through that door and found themselves at the top of the tower. Draven led her over to a small pedestal, which had a miniature version of the tower they were in, along with one of the opposite island. Draven placed the bridge between the two miniatures, and the ground began to shake. Fiona went to see that a bridge was rising from the water.

As they headed to go back down the tower, the door opened before they reached it and Ricardo appeared before them, but he was flashing. At times he was visible, others he was not. Draven thought quickly, and told Fiona to go to the edge and break the stone railing, while he distracted Ricardo. Fiona did as she was told, and managed to make a decent hole. She signaled over to Draven, letting him know that she was done. He led Ricardo over to the hole and began to attack him. He threw out punches until he was at the edge, flailing his arms, trying to avoid falling. Fiona gave him a final push and he went over, grabbing Fiona and taking her down with him.

"AAAHHH!" Fiona held onto the edge with all her might, but her fingers were slipping. Ricardo had already fallen completely. They finally slipped completely and . . . .

she died.

(A/N-JUST KIDDING!-dodges flying objects, b/c of her bad sense of humor.)

Draven caught her hand in time and pulled her up, saving her from Ricardo's fate. She was still hyperventilating as she sat on the stone floor, in shock of what just happened.

"It's alright, you're fine now, you'll be ok. Don't worry." He helped her stand up and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. As soon as he did this, she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. She finally allowed all the tears from the past couple of hours to flow freely. She was miserable. Her parents were dead, she was stuck in some godforsaken place with a some freak chasing after her, and she had just killed said freak. She was glad he was gone, and knew he deserved to die, but wished it didn't have to have come to that. She also cried for Daniella, the most tragic person she ever met. She cried for Hewie, whom she knew was dead. _At least he's free . . . _

She almost didn't want to let go of him, grateful for the comfort of another person. But, after what seemed like an eternity, she did, wiping the tears from her face.

"Sorry . . ."

"It's alright, you can't keep things bottled up, you have to vent when you can." He just smiled at her. All she could do was give him a watery smile in return. "Come on, we should leave now. Knowing Areoulis(sp?) Belli, there's another clone or something else waiting for us on the other side of the bridge." They walked back down to the ground floor in silence, Fiona, once again, just grateful for the company. When they reached the bridge, they could see Ricardo's body on the floor, in an unnatural position. When Fiona took a closer look, she noticed that his skin was dry and rough, like leather.

"Draven, feel his skin."

"Why?" He did as she said and his eyes flashed with anger and fear.

"What's wrong?"

"We have to go. Now." He stood up and led her across the bridge. As they walked, questions began to swarm her head like the plague(A/N-bad simile, I know).

"Draven, what is Azoth?" She looked at him and saw that he was hesitant to answer.

"Azoth is the key component to immortality, the alternative to making a philosopher's stone. Besides, the stone is not as potent as the Azoth, and harder to acquire. Areoulis Belli sought eternal life. He wanted to be a god. He was, or is, a successful alchemist. Every human has at least a microscopic amount of Azoth, but women have a more significant amount than men. Especially in you, since you are the daughter of one of Belli's clones. He used alchemy to try and produce clones, in which he tried to create a significant amount of Azoth. That's when he tried to make Daniella, having figured out too late that he needed a woman. Unfortunately for him, he also realized that he could not play God and create life from scratch, so she lacked the Azoth needed."

"Yes, I know . . . She died trying to take it from me."

"That's one less problem we have on our hands, then. For obvious reasons, Belli did not want his clones roaming outside the castle, and he could not leave it himself. That's when your father, Ugo, ran away. I suppose he ran away because he was sick of the life he had been given. He met your mother and you inherited his Azoth, adding to its already enhanced strength. What happened after that, you already know."

"But, why does he want to be immortal?"

"He's just power-hungry, I suppose."

"Why did you turn out differently?"

"Because my genes were mixed with someone else's, like I said before. And I have less Azoth than the regular person. Most people have a bit more than they need to survive, and that bit was extracted from me, so I only have enough to stay alive. I barely feel it in me, so it doesn't affect me as much as it does the others."

"Who were your genes mixed with?"

"I really don't know. Some innocent passerby, I think."

"Is the original Belli still alive?"

"Yes, but barely. He's been creating extremely weak philosopher's stones to stay alive until he finds a good enough Azoth."

"And that would be me, right?"

"Not if I can help it."

"Thank you . . ."

"Don't mention it." That marked the end of their conversation. They reached the other side of the bridge, and saw that there was a mansion entrance.


	2. Innocent Freak

Disclaimer: I don't own Haunting Ground. I don't own Haunting Ground. (said it twice 'cuz I forgot to put it in the last chap.)

And my twisted, horribly modified story continues . . .

_Recap . . ._

_"Is the original Belli still alive?"_

_"Yes, but barely. He's been creating extremely weak philosopher's stones to stay alive until he finds a good enough Azoth."_

_"And that would be me, right?"_

_"Not if I can help it."_

_"Thank you . . ."_

_"Don't mention it." That marked the end of their conversation. They reached the other side of the bridge, and saw that there was a mansion entrance._

Chapter Two- Innocent Freak.

Before them stood a huge mansion. It was beautiful, but Fiona knew better than to think that its beauty would be present on the inside. They walked up the stairs, passing a figure that looked human. It was just flesh. It had a head, body, and limbs, but no details. It was faceless. It seemed to be mumbling something, but Fiona couldn't make it out. She approached it, reaching out with her arm, seeing that it still hadn't moved from its spot. Before she could touch it, it lashed out at her. She jumped back, right into Draven.

"Sorry."

"It's alright," he chuckled, "These homonculus are harmless, it's the small ones you have to watch out for."

"Small ones . . ?"

"You'll see." He led her up the stairs and through the double doors. They entered a relatively small hall. It had a statue at the center with a scale. The scale was tipped to one side. An inscription near it said that in order to get out, they scales would have to be balanced. They both agreed on looking for something to balance the scale with. Draven seemed to know the layout of the Mansion, so he led her to a door to the right of the statue.

At first it looked like a boiler room. There was another homonculus here, but instead of mumbling, it was banging its head on the wall. It made a disgusting sound, and Fiona couldn't bare to watch. She cringed, shifting towards Draven.

"Do your best to ignore it, they don't feel anything anyway. You shouldn't feel for them. They're just corpses." He took her hand and led her to one of the machines that looked like a boiler. A small window revealed it to actually be filled with blood. There was a hunk of meat submerged in the liquid. It had several tubes sticking into it.

"Oh my god. What is that?"

"That, is another kind of homonculus. It's halfway through its development, and that's why it looks like that. When they aren't completely developed, well, as complete as they can get," he pointed to the one banging its head on the wall, "and wake up, they thirst for blood. A few good kicks destroy them, but they are still a pain." Fiona looked closer and saw that it looked like an egg with arms and legs.

"Let's go, this place is creeping me out."

"This is just the tip of the iceberg, from here, it probably gets worse. I haven't set foot in this mansion in a very long time." He led her back out of the room. The went to the next door, which was on the left. The next room looked at bit like a cavern. There were also two small homonculus waiting to attack. They attached themselves to Fiona's legs, drawn to her by the Azoth. All she could do was stand there, having the blood sucked out of her because her legs were constricted. Draven managed to kick them away from her, but it did leave her a bit light-headed. She couldn't walk without being in danger of falling over. She collapsed onto the floor, on all fours, trying to get the dizziness out.

"My head is spinning, I think I may have lost too much blood."

"You're right, come on, I'll carry you." He picked her up bridal style, and began to navigate through the halls more carefully, looking for a place for Fiona to rest. They encountered a few more homonculus, but because of her lack in energy, the Azoth didn't attract them as much, which gave Draven excellent opportunities to kill them. After being carried for over an hour, Fiona began to feel bad for Draven. He had gone up and down stairs, opened doors, and traversed a decent section of the mansion, without letting go of her at all. They were in a garden now. They could see a gate a few steps away.

"Draven, I think you should put me down. Aren't you tired?"

"Not really . . ."

"Please put me down anyway, I feel like I'm taking advantage of you." He did as she said, and set her down gently. She began to look at the trees and plants, noticing that there was a strange stone in one of the tree branches. "Draven? Could you give me a boost? I think I see something in the tree." he went over to where she was, and knelt, so that she could stand on his shoulders. He lifted her carefully, until she could reach the branch. It was a beautiful red stone. It was nestled among eggs, so she was careful not to disturb the nest. "Got it." Draven knelt down and she got off.

"That's a philosopher's stone. How did you notice it?"

"It just kind of stood out, I suppose."

"I'll bet that's probably what we need to balance the scale." Fiona nodded, and they turned to the gate. As they approached it, they could hear loud thumps that sounded like foot steps.

_Dammit, not him, too . . . _Draven immediately grabbed Fiona, pinning her to the wall with his body, and one hand on her mouth. She got the idea of not making any noise, and he put both his arms around her waist, holding her closer and burying his face in her neck, his breath sending shivers down her spine. This movement caused Fiona's pulse to increase dramatically. All she could do was stand still, with her hands on his chest. She couldn't move because of his steel grip. The hurried thumping of footsteps matched the rhythm of her heart, beat by beat. The footsteps began to fade, along with the calls of '_Where is you?_'

After the threat was gone, the only thumping was the beat of Fiona's heart. They stayed in that position for a few more seconds until Draven pulled away. Why had his closeness affected her so much? She had been so busy concentrating on her heartbeat, that she hadn't noticed that Draven's pulse was just as fast. But, he pushed it away as a reflex, a reaction to the threat. Fiona was the first to regain her composure enough to speak.

"What was that about?"

"The gardener, Debilitas. He was trained into seeking out potent Azoth. He also extracts it in a very brutal way. He literally rips it out of you. He's like a dog, he sniffs out his target. With my scent overpowering yours, he couldn't find us as easily as he would have, had we been separated. That's why I held you so close, to mask your scent."

"Oh . . . Shouldn't we hurry, before he comes back?"

"Yeah, let's go." They left the garden the way they had come, and searched for a way around the gate. They went through a few more disturbing rooms, such as one where a homonculus was on all fours, licking something off the floor. Fiona had to avert her gaze, and felt like fainting, so Draven took her hand and put his other arm around her waist until they left the room. After about another hour of walking, they finally made it to an underground tunnelThere were entrances blocked by walls of fire, but Draven knew how to put the fires out. He drew strange symbols on the ground in front of each wall. Then, he muttered something under his breath as he pressed his palms to the marks he made. When he was done, water rose out of each marking and put out all the fires at once.

Fiona was taken aback, but then remembered that he was the clone of a powerful alchemist, which means he inherited a talent for it as well. They went up a flight of stairs and came to a small patch of grass by a window. Fiona noticed that there was a smell of burnt meat was coming out through the window. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was a human child being burnt to death.

That was finally the last tug that her heart and mind could take. She couldn't stand anymore, and she fainted, falling back into Draven's arms.

When she woke up, she was in some sort of video room. There were shelves with film and a screen, along with one of those old machines people used to watch really old home videos. She was lying on the floor, so she stood up, eager to look for Draven. She didn't want to be separated from him because of what he had said before. She hurried out the only door there was, and realized that she was in a library. She walked along a narrow cat-walk, reaching a ladder and seeing that she had been walking on bookshelves. She left the library, and walked on a path that was underwater, where she could see several strange fish. She hurried through the path, not wanting to be anywhere near those fish. She went up some stairs and found herself in the tunnels. _Draven must have taken me there straight from that horrible place._

She continued to walk along the winding paths, and finally found the exit. She went up another flight of stairs, and found herself on the other side of the gate. She went over to it and unlocked it, so they wouldn't have to go underground again. She left the garden through another entrance, and eventually found herself in a small room with a metal bridge. On the bridge, it read, _BALANCE_. She figured that this what was they had needed the scales for, and that Draven must have gone ahead and was waiting for her somewhere. She crossed the bridge and left the room, coming to a long hallway. Suddenly, she heard a thumping sound, and knew it was Debilitas. He would find her this time, because Draven wasn't around to shield her. The door burst open behind her, and she fell forward. She scrambled to get up and turned around. Before her stood an abnormally large man with a disfigured face, and large, round, child-like eyes. He had a menacing grin on his face that threw Fiona into full panic. (a/n- of course, I couldn't go through the story without her panicking).

She barely registered what was going on, and knew only that she had to run and hide. She ran through the hall, searching every door for a good hiding spot. The majority were locked, until she came to the last one. _Thank God, a couch! _was all she could think. She scrambled to hide underneath it, to find the slightest bit of safety. Seconds after she was completely under the couch, Debilitas barged into the room. He sniffed around, but the couch's moldy old smell shielded her Azoth scent. Two '_Where is you?_''s later, he left, and Fiona's panic had gone down. She got out from under the couch, and decided to inspect the room. She found a small key on a table and took it with her, leaving the room. Careful not to make any noise, she tried the key on each of the locked doors. She was at the last door when the key worked. She entered a large room that had a pillar of ice protruding from the ground. She went over to it and climbed it, reaching the top in a few seconds. She got off and entered a messed up library. She looked around and found journal entries from an extremely long time ago, marking the beginning of Belli's immortality project. She looked around some more, and found another key. She exited the way she came, wanting to check if the key would work on the locked doors from before.

Fiona realized that was a big mistake. Climbing down was harder for her. She sprained her ankle on the way down, and limped. She turned to leave but saw the door burst open again, signaling Debilitas's entrance. She could do nothing more than fall. She just sat on the floor, staring at the monster in front of her. He approached her slowly, somehow knowing that she would not be able to stand. He kicked her, hard, sending her sliding and crashing against the wall. She hit her head on the impact, and scratched her face against the rough wall. She began to lose consciousness as she saw Debilitas get closer. He knelt over her, ready to rip her to shreds, his weight on her, unbearable. That's when she heard it, and ear-piercing screech. She heard Debilitas yell and felt him get off her, before she completely blanked out.

This time when she woke up, she felt as if she were floating, and something very warm and firm was by her. She opened her eyes and saw Draven's chest. He was carrying her again. She looked up to see his face, worried.

"D-Draven?"

"Fiona! You're awake, I thought I'd lost you." She felt an urge to say, _You'll never lose me, _but decided against it. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. My head hurts, though. So does my ankle, I sprained it."

"I can fix that." He set her down by a curtain, and took her bare left foot, after she pointed which one, and muttered some words. The pain immediately left and all the remained was the one in her head. They both stood and he put his hands on either side of her face. His middle and index fingers of both hands on her temples, massaging them, while he muttered a few more incomprehensible words. She closed her eyes as the relaxed feeling swept throughout her entire being, beginning at her head and going all the way to her feet and fingertips.

Seeing her with her eyes closed and so vulnerable almost pushed him over the edge. He had an urge to kiss her, but did his best to stay focused on taking her pain away. After a few more seconds, he sensed that it was all gone, and that he could stop. But, when he tried to remove his hands, she wouldn't let him. She stopped him with her own hands, pressing his palms against her cheeks.

"Wait . . . ." She barely whispered the word, but Draven heard her. "Don't stop . . . Not yet . . ." She relish the heat emanating from his hands, the way they cupped her face so perfectly. She wanted him to kiss her, but knew that, if he had wanted to kiss her, he would have done so by now. Her eyes fluttered open, and she studied his face. He barely looked like the portrait at all. How much of Belli was in him, anyway? She removed his hands from her face, and smiled at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." They turned toward the door near them, and tried to open it. It was locked, so Fiona used one of the keys she had found. It worked and they left the hallway, entering a room with a spiral staircase. They had to stop at the first landing, because rubble blocked the rest of the way. There was no need to see what was up there, anyway. That was where Daniella's body was, pinned to that mirror by a huge glass shard. After that fight, Hewie had led her away to the forest through the gardens. They had walked for an extremely long time, which explained why she had been caught and put in a cell so easily. They went through the door that she knew led back into the mansion. They arrived in a rectangular room. They went down a set of stairs and Fiona noticed that the room had changed. It now had a spiral staircase, going even lower.

They went down the stairs and noticed pedestals. She had seen an identical pedestal in the music tower. She turned it and it shot a moon beam. She tried the same thing with the ones here and saw that one did the same, but the other didn't move. It was missing something. She remembered that she had found a lunar refractor (reflector?). She placed it in the hole and moved the pedestal, capturing the beam and opening an interesting looking door. They went through the door and down a spiral staircase, which ended at another door. The opened it and saw that it was a partially lit hallway. You could only see parts of the floor, everything else was in darkness. Draven lit his hand with an eerie glow and put his hand in front of him, checking where it was safe to walk. As they carefully navigated through the hall, Fiona decided to ask a question that had been burning hole in her mind.

"Draven? Exactly how much of the original Belli is in you?"

"A microscopic amount. Enough to give me small details, like the shape of my face, and my expressions, but that's it. Very difficult to find with a DNA test."

"How do you know about DNA tests?"

"Did you think Ugo was the only one who ever ran away? No one ever pays much attention to me, so it was easy to get away for a few hours a month."

"Oh, ok." They finally reached the end of the hall and opened the door. It was a cathedral used to worship a goddess of some kind.

"I've never been here before . . ." They went up to the altar (A/N-wedding bells!-not). There was a statue there, which held a key. Fiona took the key and turned to leave the room with Draven.

When she turned, Debilitas was there. Draven was fighting him off to keep him away from Fiona. She looked around, trying to find an alternative to having to fist fight the giant. She saw the ropes and mechanisms that held the the chandelier up, and had an idea.

"Draven!" He kicked Debilitas and looked to see what Fiona was looking at. She pointed at the mechanisms and he understood. He baited Debilitas to one, while Fiona did the same with the other. Debilitas himself broke the golden pulleys. He broke Fiona's first, so she headed to the altar. Then, noticing that Debilitas had once again set his sights on Fiona, Draven used all his might to break the second pulley. Debilitas was too slow to react to the falling chandelier, and the fear stunned Fiona. Draven moved with adrenaline enhanced speed and pushed Fiona out of the way, putting his arms around her. As they fell, he turned so the he would fall on his back, to avoid hurting Fiona. The chandelier fell on Debilitas, knocking him unconscious.

Fiona looked down at Draven, never having been happier to have met someone before. She hugged his neck, resting her cheek on his chest.

"Thank you. I've lost count of the times you've saved me . . ."

"Don't worry about it." They heard Debilitas stir beneath the chandelier before Draven had a chance to return the embrace. Fiona jumped off him and he sat up. They stood and looked at Debilitas, who was moving the chandelier, and getting up. He walked towards them, not in a menacing way, but a humble one. He bowed to them, and turned to leave. Once he was gone, confusion filled both of them.

"Does this mean he won't come after me anymore?"

"Only one way to find out."

Well, that's Chap #2. I'm passing pretty fast through this story, aren't I? There'll probably 2 or 3 more chaps before it's over. I'm not going to start any long fics until I get out of school, which is in about a month, so expect random oneshot songfics.


	3. Deceit ?

Well, here's the 3rd chap!

I'm glad I got one good review, since the other was a message from someone who, at the moment, didn't like me very much :(. Oh well . . . .

Disclaimer: Don't own Haunting Ground, but Draven's aaall mine, hehe!(insert wink here).

_Recap:_

_They heard Debilitas stir beneath the chandelier before Draven had a chance to return the embrace. Fiona jumped off him and he sat up. They stood and looked at Debilitas, who was moving the chandelier, and getting up. He walked towards them, not in a menacing way, but a humble one. He bowed to them, and turned to leave. Once he was gone, confusion filled both of them._

_"Does this mean he won't come after me anymore?"_

_"Only one way to find out."_

Chap 3: Deceit . . ?

They walked out of the moonbeam room, confused at Debilitas's actions. Draven seemed to know where he was going. They walked out of the moonbeam room, and up a ramp. They went through a tunnel and continued walking until they reached a strange cabin. Draven went into the cabin first, and Fiona smelled a strange odor coming from inside.

It was really small. They walked through a small hallway and found themselves beside a bed. Across from the bed, on their other side, stood Debilitas. He seemed to be praying. The small inlet in the wall looked like a shrine of some sort. He noticed that they were there, and turned around, reaching into his pocket. Draven immediately went on guard. Debilitas did his best to show that he was not trying to harm Fiona. He bowed his head and outstretched both his hands towards them. He was holding a key, offering it to them.

Fiona reached for the key, taking it from his hand. (a/n: The following contains a game cheat.)

"Thank you, but . . . what is it for?" All he did was grunt and point at the door. He wanted to lead them somewhere. Draven stood out of his way and signaled for Fiona to do the same. She did, and Debilitas led them out of his cabin, taking them into the castle, through the doors, and through the kitchen. He brought them to the hall outside the kitchen, and led them to a staircase that led to a bathroom. He pointed to it. When he looked at them, his eyes were sad. "What's wrong?" All he did was grunt, point at the door again, bow, and leave the way they had come.

"He wants us to go to that room. Perhaps the door that this key opens is inside." They went in and began to explore. The only doors were stalls, and two out of the three were open. Fiona tried the third door, and it opened. She saw that this stall was different. In fact, it was not a stall, but a staircase to some kind of basement.

"Draven! I found a doorway." He went to where she was and they both headed down the stairs. They arrived in a kind of cell, but it had a large table. On the table, there were a pair of boots, and a key. Fiona looked at the boots and realized that they could fit, and were very strong, which could help her, since it hurt to kick and walk barefoot.

"Fiona . . . This key, it's the key to the castle gates. We can leave. We've found the way out!"

"Are you serious? That's wonderful!" She threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck, like she had taken to doing.

"Yes, it is . . ." He gently pushed her away, causing her to look him in the eye.

"Sorry . . ." she mumbled.

"You shouldn't be."

"Why?" He took her chin with his index finger and thumb, bringing her towards him, as he leaned down to her. His other arm snaked around her waist, pulling her as close to him as possible. "What are you-" She didn't finish her question. His lips caught hers, but only briefly. When his hand moved away from her chin, she felt a blinding pain on her back, and lost consciousness. The last thing she heard was a sickening thud, her own body hitting the floor.

When she woke up, she had her hands above her, tied to a wall, and was dressed in different clothes. It was a long white dress, with long sleeves and a low collar, exposing much of her chest, causing her to shiver from the cold. She looked around and saw that she was in some sort of cave. She could tell by the drawings on the stone walls and the pedestal she was on, that this room was used for some kind of ceremony. At that moment, she heard the rolling of wheels, and saw an extremely old man in a wheelchair emerge from the shadows. She could see that he was ancient, and guessed that this was the original Belli.

"Ah, Fiona. You are awake. We can commence with the ceremony, then." He wheeled over to her, and she noticed that his face was level with her naval. He put his hand on her belly, and began to mutter strange words. He then used the other hand to reach behind him, grabbing a strange looking dagger (imagine the one used to kill Ugo). He was about to plunge it into her, when there came a growl out of nowhere. Hewie emerged from the shadows, as well, and attacked the old man. Causing the chair to collapse. This gave Hewie enough time to chew threw the rope that bound her, freeing her.

"Hewie! You're back, I thought you were dead." She hugged him, holding him as close as possible, glad to finally have her friend back.

"Fiona . . . ." She turned to see that the old man was dragging himself, at an extremely fast pace, towards them, dagger in hand. She stood and prepared to run.

"Hewie!" They both ran out of the cave, and found themselves underground. They ran until the reached a creepy room. It had animal carcasses on a table and a hatchet. She looked around for an exit, and found a set of stairs. She hurried, and came out to the Castle gardens. She went up the stairs and went into the suite, locking the door behind her, hoping that the old man could not catch up as quickly. She figured he'd think she ran for the castle gates. She sat on the bed, looking hopelessly at the portrait that looked the most like Draven, feeling a sharp pain in her heart. He had been just like the others. The only reason he hadn't killed her sooner, apparently, was so he could take her straight to Belli himself. She'd admit, he had been smarter at accomplishing it than the others. He had even gone so far as to kiss her . . . She touched her lips with the tips of her fingers, tears threatening to spill. Hewie seemed to sense this and put his head on her lap, whimpering. "Thanks Hewie . . ."

She petted his head absently, wondering what she had to do now. Belli obviously thought she had left, because it had been a while and he still hadn't found her. She looked around the room, looking for better clothes to wear. She checked the dresser, and saw that there was a dress similar to the one she wore now, except that it had a shorter skirt, which went above her knees, and allowed better leg movement. She also noticed a pair of boots. She changed her clothes, and pulled her hair back, ready to tackle anything that stood between her and her freedom. Unfortunately, she did not have the key, Draven did, so she had to find it before escaping, which meant facing the old man. She walked out the other door, going back down to the room they had found it in. She had Hewie sniff around, and he caught a scent, immediately running of to have Fiona chase him. He led her to the garden, and stopped by the tree she had saved him from. He barked, signaling to Fiona that this was where the scent had led him. She crouched down to see that there was a stone there. She moved it, and found a key. It was the key to the castle gate. She had found it again, but wondered why it was there, if Draven had it. She dismissed the thought, and immediately made a run for the gate. She reached it, and her hand was shaking.

She managed to open it, but it shut before she could take a step forward. The air around her began to shift, causing ripples, until she was in a strange hall of some kind. There were two doors, and she chose one, emerging in a similar hall each time. She kept hearing a voice, recognizing it as Draven's.

"Ah, Fiona . . . Must you run from me?"

"Where are you!" She continued to walk through doors until she came to a room with a conveyor belt. On the other side, she could see Belli.

"Fiona!" He dragged himself towards where she was was, but she quickly moved out of the way, towards the conveyor belt. She stood there, baiting him. Once he reached her, she aimed a powerful kick at his head, knocking him unconscious for a while. She went over to a machine, and turned it on, causing the belt to move, causing Belli to be squished completely, the only remains being his blood and a small key. She took it and went to the door, his unusual death not fazing her at all. She was becoming used to the violence, which was not a good sign, not a good sign at all. Her heart was hardening, so she no longer cared. She walked through the door, coming to a large circular room. She went through another door, and it shut behind her, trapping her at a dead end.

"Fiona . . . I've finally found you. My Azoth . . ." She looked around, but couldn't find where the voice came from. She kept looking, but to no avail. Why couldn't she find him? Finally, the door she had come through opened, and shut behind her when she left. She also noticed that the room had changed, and now had a large door . She went through it, and found herself face to face with her father.

"Daddy . . . ?" He approached her, and not in a very friendly way. She realized that it was Belli. "No, you're not my dad."

"Fiona . . ." He took a deep breath and his body began to change. He got younger, his hair became red, and his skin was no longer wrinkled. "My Fiona . . ." His voice was just like Draven's. A few hours ago, if she had heard that phrase in that voice, she would have blushed a bright crimson, and gone weak-kneed. "My Azoth . . ."

"I am not yours." With a power she didn't know she had, she placed her right hand on his chest, and threw him back, his body smacking against the wall. She ran out of the room, finding herself in the old hall, before it had changed. She exited through the other door, and hurried down the hall. She stopped, realizing that she had no idea what she was doing. She could hear Belli getting closer. Hewie decided to lead the way, running to a room that had a huge tank in the middle, filled with molten rock, lava. An idea struck her, and she decided to wait to be caught. "Hewie, get ready." He began to growl and went into ready position, waiting for his next order.

Belli burst through the door, sending explosions at Fiona. She told Hewie to attack and he did, spilling a lot of Belli's blood, and weakening him a considerable amount. She went over to him, and pushed him into the tank, as he laughed all the way, sending a dagger at Fiona. She didn't have time to react, and was almost hit, if Hewie had not intercepted the blade. He fell, whimpering, and blood pooled around him. At the moment, the strangest thing happened.

Hewie began to lose his hair, and his body grew. It transformed into a human body. Draven's body. His fur was replaced by his clothes, and the blade could be seen stabbed into his side, causing his white shirt to be stained. Draven had been Hewie the entire time. How could she have missed it? She had seen Hewie in the forest, the wound on his leg, it had been the same as Draven's. How the hell could she have been so stupid? And now he was dying, because of her.

"Draven!" She ran to him, collapsing onto her knees beside his body. She was sobbing uncontrollably. She took his head and put in on her lap, stroking his hair gently.

"D-Don't cry . . ." He lifted his hand to stroke her cheek. "You're free now. Go . . ."

"I can't just leave you here! You-You have to come with me. I can't leave without you. Please."

"Fiona, I'm dying. I can't let you give up your freedom for me. I need you to go, please. Do not mourn for me, just go." At that moment, something climbed out of the lava. It was Belli.

"FIONA!" he was just a skeleton, and was on fire. Just one touch from him and she would die. She didn't care, though. This was another fight, just like all the others. She stood, ignoring Draven's voice, telling her to run away.

"You. You ruined everything. You killed my family! And now you kill my. . . my. . ." She had begun to cry again. She yelled, and outstretched her hands in front of her. Out of them, shot a torrent of ice. Knocking the skeleton back, breaking him into bits and pieces, and pushing him into the lava again. Belli was finally gone, and Fiona felt a strange power surge through her. She made her way back to Draven, and saw that he was still awake. She sat by him, cradling his head in her arms.

She bent her head down, and kissed him, feeling his lips go cold. That was the last thing she felt, before blacking out completely.

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A cliffhanger. I hate cliffhangers. I 'm such a hypocrite, aren't I? Please review! 


	4. I am not complete

Disclaimer: I don't own Haunting Ground.

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Chap 4: I am not complete . . .

"M-Miss, F-Fiona . . ?" She sat up, her face stained with tears. She was in the Castle Suite again. She looked to see where the voice was coming from, and saw Daniella, but her dress was red and her hair was black now. She was standing there with a bowl of water and a handkerchief. Fiona realized that she had had a handkerchief on her forehead, before she had sat up. Then it registered, Daniella was supposed to be dead. She had killed her. What was the maid doing here? Without a scratch on her body? Fiona could not find her voice, so all she could do was move towards the wall, away from the maid. "S-Sorry, Miss Fiona . . . I am not D-Daniella. My n-name is Isabella. I am her clone, but, unlike her, I do not feel incomplete. I am . . . different. I have just enough Azoth, but I'm not completely human."

"How is that possible?"

"My genes, like Draven's," -she paused here, noticing Fiona's reaction to the name- "were mixed with others, I have cat-like qualities. I must thank you, you have freed Debilitas and myself. We are no longer at the mercy of a monster. And no one will ever have to suffer like we have."

"N-No problem, I guess . . ." She looked down at her hands, wondering about what it was that she had done. She wasn't sure how she had activated her strange . . . abilities.

"Isabella? Do you know what I am, exactly?"

"A-Actually, I do. Y-Your father, Ugo . . . he was the one who cloned Draven and myself. It was part of the plan, for when he ran away. He left us here, sure that, at some point, his child, you, would be brought back. He wanted to prevent it from happening, so he kept you away. Still, he felt he needed us." She stopped stuttering, gaining some confidence. "I suppose he was right, since Draven was the one who helped you. We were to be your safe keepers. But, Daniella was angry, locked me up, and ordered Debilitas to keep me locked. It wasn't until recently, about a day ago, when he found you, that Debilitas allowed me out, so I could take care of you."

"A day ago? I've been out for a day?"

"Yes."

"What happened to D-Draven's body?"

"He's been taken care of. You need not worry, Miss Fiona."

"What do I do now? I have no where to go, my parents are dead. I don't have any money . . ." She began to cry again, taking in the gravity of her current situation. She brought her knees to her body, resting her forehead on them. She felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"You are welcome to stay at the castle. It is yours, after all. This can be your home. Debilitas and I will care for you. There are plenty of things here that you can exchange for money, if you are ever in need of something."

"Thank you, but I still don't know what I am."

"You have the blood of an extremely powerful alchemist running through your veins. For you, alchemy comes naturally. Instead of having to learn it, like most of us do, you just have to learn to control it. I can teach you."

"It's settled then. I will stay here. Thank you . . ." Isabella just gave her a reassuring nod, and left the room.

"I left some clothes for you." She pointed to the foot of the bed, before leaving the room. When the door closed, Fiona stood, wiping tears from her cheeks. She looked at her clothes, extremely similar to what she had been wearing when Draven had died. The only difference was the color. It was a dark navy. She also noticed that the collar covered more of her chest than the other one. She put it on, along with a pair of slippers that matched the dress. She got dressed, and tied her hair back.

She began to think about what would happen now. She would live in this huge castle, by herself, except for a maid and gardener. She hoped that Isabella would be more of a friend than a maid. She decided to take a walk, and properly explore the castle. She started with the garden. She went down the stairs, and went towards the tree where she had found Draven, in his dog form. Why hadn't he told her about it? And why had he turned back without telling her?

She tried to push the thoughts out, but was struggling. She moved on to the area where she had woken up the first time in the castle. That creepy room. She swore she wouldn't go back, so she didn't. She finished exploring the gardens, and went towards the main entrance. She went through the first floor, exploring the rooms and remembering some significant event that had happened in each one. She finished the first floor, and went on to the next, coming to the study. She went inside and decided to do a little research, trying to find a way to activate her power. She was looking through the books, when she came to one that was untitled. She took it and began to read it, realizing that it explained the source of power.

_An alchemist performs best under pressure. A natural alchemist, which is extremely difficult to find, triggers his or her powers through emotion. The strongest are anger, hatred, joy, or love. Their power is released when their emotions get out of control, or when they have enough control to tap into the emotion. It takes extreme training to be in control, and a significant amount of meditation and patience._

Fiona continued reading, getting lost in the information. She was learning more than she had asked for, and did not want to stop. The book even had examples of an alchemist's power. She even read that it was possible to bring the dead back to life. She was about to read how to do it, some hope lighting up in her, when Isabella came in.

"Do not consider it, Miss Fiona. The dead cannot be brought back by people. Only gods have the power to do so. You cannot play god. It is what caused Belli to be who he was. Do NOT follow in his footsteps. You are better than that."

"But, I miss him."

"Yes, but he did what he had to. You cannot change the past. That is the first lesson of alchemy. You cannot play with the natural order." Fiona looked down at the book, wanting to try it. But she knew it was wrong, immoral.

"Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's alright, I understand. Come with me, dinner is served." Fiona stood, placing the book on the desk beside her. She followed Isabella to the dining room, remembering what had happened when Daniella had made dinner. She was glad that Isabella was different. They walked in silence, sFiona still contemplating what she should do next. She knew she needed to learn control, but didn't know how to begin.

They reached the dining room and sat down.

"Isabella?"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering, if . . . Listen, I don't want you to be my maid, I would prefer to have a friend. I wouldn't feel so lonely, you know?"

"It's alright. I will be your friend, Miss Fiona."

"Please don't call me that, call me Fiona."

"Alright. You can call me Bella, then. That's what Draven called me. He was my brother, since Belli used similar human DNA when he made us . . ." A single tear ran down her cheek, and their was the slightest hint of pain in her voice. Fiona looked down at her plate, noticing that she had been served chicken, vegetables, and mashed potatoes. She began to eat, complementing Isabella on her cooking. They finished eating, and Isabella cleaned up. Fiona decided to clean the dishes, while Isabella cleaned the kitchen. They continued their work in a comfortable silence, until Isabella broke it.

"Fiona, would you like to start your lessons? We can practice in the garden." Fiona nodded, eager to get control of her abilities. They went to the garden, and Isabella began with her instructions. She noticed that Isabella had changed her hair, and had put it in a ponytail at the nape of her neck. Her clothes were also a lot more loose and relaxed. "Ok, first things first, you have to be relaxed. I know that your abilities react to emotion, so in order to get control, you have to be able to relax. It helps if you take deep breaths." Fiona did as she was told. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and felt the tension leave her muscles as she exhaled. "Now, that you're relaxed, we have to figure out which emotions bring out the most of your power. What did you feel when you used your power?"

"I was panicked (a/n: what a surprise!) and angry."

"Alright then, close your eyes and focus on what you fear the most, or what kind of situation would frighten you." She did as Isabella said, and concentrated on what had happened recently. She remembered the fear she felt as she was being chased, after having lost Draven, and a newfound fear. It was losing Isabella, her only friend. She felt the fear rise up in her and opened her eyes, which were glazed over with unshed tears. "Ok. Now concentrate on the fear, channel it into strength. What abilities do you know you have?"

"I m-made things move w-without barely t-touching them."

"Ok, concentrate. You see that hunk of stone? Put all your strength into moving it." Fiona closed her eyes, concentrated on her fear, and outstretched her hands. She heard something collide with a wall and opened her eyes to see. The piece of stone had been thrown against the wall, similar to how she had thrown Belli. "Very good. What other things have you done?"

"I shot ice out of my hands."

"Impressive, let's see if you can do it again. I suppose you were angry when this happened?"

"Yes."

"Then find that anger, channel it the same way you did with the fear, and concentrate on the ice." She did. She started to remember her parents' death, Draven's death, and the fact that she had been left without anyone, until she had become friends with Isabella. She thought about how Areoulis was to blame for everything. The anger boiled in her, itching to be released. She thought about the icy coldness of her heart after Draven was killed. She opened her eyes, feeling that she had built up enough anger, and felt the ice in her hands. At that moment, Isabella threw up a fireball. "Extinguish the fireballs before they hit the ground." She shot ice at it, and they canceled each other out. Isabella kept throwing them into the air, and Fiona got every one. After a few minutes of target practice, Isabella stopped, having decided to call it a night. "Alright, I think that's enough. We can practice some more tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"No problem." Isabella had a sad, contemplating look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just thinking . . ."

"About what?"

"What'll happen from now on, I suppose." She said it in a tone that suggested the end of the conversation. She turned and opened the door to go back inside, "If you need anything, my room is the extra room near Debilitas's cabin, the guest room. Good night." She went inside, leaving Fiona a bit confused. She filed the cryptic statement in the back of her mind, leaving it there for future analysis. She went back to the suite, content with the progress she had made.

As she walked back, she thought about what would happen to her, now that she lived in a castle. She would be completely secluded from the rest of the world. She felt that there was something missing, and knew exactly what it was. Draven. She wouldn't have minded as much if he was there to stay with her, keep her safe. She felt now that she understood Daniella. She felt the same as Daniella had. As she undid her bed to go to sleep, she whispered, "I am not complete . . ." and a single tear rolled down her neck, her having refused to let any others fall.

_After Fiona was asleep . . ._

"I feel terrible for her," Isabella said, as she sat at her table, staring blankly at the book before her. All she could think about was how unfair life could be, and how Fiona had to suffer so much. She was also thinking about the fact that Fiona had power over water, over time itself. Her heart had become so cold, ice cold, after losing Draven. She hoped that Fiona could recover from all her losses. Isabella thought she may have a chance of recovery, but after seeing the ice in her heart, she had lost a lot of hope.

The book in front of her explained how to interpret a person through their power. She had no idea that Fiona had been that depressed, or angry. If ice was her primary ability, Isabella would have to be careful. The fact that she had control over time was a different story entirely. She had an immense amount of power at her disposal. If she found out, she would go back and try to save Draven. Isabella knew it wouldn't work, but Fiona didn't and probably wouldn't listen, considering her delicate emotional state. All she could do was hope for the best, and pray to any deity that would listen. Pray that this ordeal could be done and over with so that Fiona, Debilitas, and herself could finally be free.

She closed her book and went to get ready to sleep. As she undid her bed, she began to speak.

"Draven . . . Why did you have to leave now? The danger's only begun. I'm not as strong as you are, I can't protect her as well as you did. What should I do?" She felt silly, speaking to herself like this, but she needed a way to vent, to try and figure out how to solve the dilemma. The danger ahead would put Fiona's life at risk even more than before, she wished it was Draven who was in her place. She undid her hair and laid down on the bed. Looking up at the ceiling, she began to get drowsy. Before she closed her eyes, she muttered, "I need you to come back, Fiona needs you . . ."

She fell asleep, but before losing consciousness completely, she heard a barely audible whisper, "I will come back, soon. Until then, please take care of her . . ."

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Well, what do ya think? Please review. Thanx! 


	5. Training, Danger, and some History

Chapter 5: Training, Danger, and some History (I know you don't like History disneysheep. At least it's not physics.)

Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize from the game-not mine.

"Here, put your hands like this," Draven positioned his hands as if he were holding an imaginary ball. Fiona did the same, following his instructions. He then moved to stand behind her, holding her hands in place. "Now, concentrate on the ice, and relax. Just try to get it to hover between your hands." He didn't have to tell her to relax. The minute he had put his hands on hers, she was at ease. She felt safest around him, and couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose him.

She closed her eyes, concentrating on making the ice between her hands. After a few seconds, her hands became colder, the warmth from Draven's becoming more evident. She felt the cold get stronger, and opened her eyes to see that she had actually made the ice. It was a light blue color. It even gave off a faint light.

"Ok, concentrate on warm thoughts. Happy memories usually work best. Once you've done that, the ice should melt into water that you can control." She did as he said. She remembered how safe she felt in his hands, and how warm they felt on hers. She felt the cold going away and opened her eyes to see that there was a waterball floating between her hands. It was swirling in place, ready to receive instructions.

"I did it! Draven, look." That's when she noticed that his hands had disappeared, his warmth, gone. She turned around, still holding the water. What she saw crushed her heart.

Draven was lying on the floor, in a puddle of his own blood. He was paler than before and his clothes were red. There was a wound in his side, where the blood was flowing from. When it all registered in her mind, she felt the cold again. Her heart was aching, and the chill spread throughout her body, reaching her hands, making the water turn to ice again.

"NOOO!" She sat up, her tears frozen to her face. She had been crying in her sleep, and the ice inside her froze her tears. She looked around the suite, noticing that everything had a thin coat of ice. The room even looked blue. She had emitted ice in her sleep. Her powers were getting beyond her control, and quickly. "What have I done . . . ?" She looked down at her hands, not only referring to the ice in her room, but to everything that's happened. Fiona saw that her hands were coated in ice, too.

"What's wrong? I heard you scream." Bella rushed into the room, fireball in hand. She looked around, startled to see all the ice. Everything was ice. She then looked over at Fiona and saw that she had been crying, and was looking at her hands. She immediately guessed what had happened. Bella walked over to Fiona, and sat beside her. She put a comforting hand on her shoulder and began to ask her what happened.

"I-I had a dream about him. I was training, but he was helping me, then he disappeared and I saw him, dead." At the last word, she buried her face in her hands. She cried silently, the only sign of this was her trembling shoulders.

"It's ok, Fiona. There wasn't anything you could have done. You can't change what happened, remember? All we can do is hope for a better future, not dwell on the tragedies of the past. Give me your hands." Fiona did so and felt that Bella was defrosting them. The warmth went throughout her entire body and her tears melted as well. "Would you like me to fix your room? Or do you prefer to try to take the ice yourself?"

"Thanks, but I think I'll do it." Fiona got up. If she had emitted the ice, then she thought she should be able to take it back. She placed her hands on the window, where most of the ice was. She closed her eyes, relaxed, and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and saw that the ice was no longer there. She had taken it all back in one breath.

"Wow, I couldn't take my fire back for a long time after knowing about it. Come on, you need breakfast." Bella left Fiona in the room, getting ready for breakfast. Fiona left her hair loose, and picked out a plain, black, knee-length skirt (skirts were all she had in the damn dresser!), and another medieval-style white shirt. She put on a pair of boots and walked out the room.

She walked down the stairs to the dining room and saw that Bella was already there with her food. She had cooked oatmeal. They finished eating, and Bella went to wash the dishes and clean, Fiona had not been able to convince her otherwise, and went to explore the castle, now that she didn't have anyone chasing her.

She was finally able to admire the design, the beauty, and the antiquity. The castle had to be from sometime in the Middle Ages. One could tell by the kind of clothes in Fiona's dresser. It was beautiful, though. She went to the study, eager to find a book that may help her situation. She once again found the book from before, and went on to read it.

Don't get me wrong, she wasn't going to try the resurrection, she was only going to read about it, wanting to know what _could _happen. She sat down, tuned out everything round her, and began to read. The book said that, in alchemy, in order to receive something, another thing of equal value had to be given up. In other words, in order to give life, one had to take it.

_Theoretically speaking, one would have to take their own life, as it would be the only thing of enough value capable of being given up. That would, in turn, defeat the purpose of the resurrection, as most people seek to perform it in order to reunite with a lost loved one. There have also been instances where a person was brought back, but not thoroughly. Their body was reanimated, but it was just a shell of who they once were. There were no emotions, expressions. This also defeats the purpose._

_There has never been a person capable of bringing someone back. Many have tried, failing very quickly. This ceremony is not for someone who values morality and mortality. Along with seeking immortality, resurrecting a person is impossible. One cannot toy with life._

Well, I suppose that's the end of that, she thought. She had experienced the impossibility of immortality herself. She should have known. If she tried this, she would end up just like her ancestor, taking someone's life for no reason, seeking life. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind, putting the book back on the shelf and leaving the room. She walked around a little more, noticing how some of the rooms and halls were damaged and messy. She decided to go see if Bella would lend her some things to clean with, trying to keep her mind off Draven and his death. She reached the kitchen, where Bella was mopping.

"Ah, Fiona. Ready to get some more training done?"

"Actually, I was wondering if I could help clean up the house a bit. Do you have any supplies I can use?"

"That's what your training will be. I'm going to teach you how to use your power to move objects less forcibly."

"Alright, where do we start?" Bella grabbed a can and motioned for Fiona to follow her. They walked through the halls until they came to a room that brought Fiona a disturbing memory. They came to the room where Fiona had seen Daniella being beaten by Riccardo. There was some blood on the floor, and it was a total mess. Bella set down the can and began to instruct her.

"Now, all you need to do is tap into your fear. Once you have it under control, channel it into energy. When you do, just concentrate on the object you want to move. Ready? Go." Fiona followed her instructions and was surprised to see that she could actually control it. "Ok. Move the chandelier into the air, and hold it steady. When I say go, switch your concentration to the can, and move it to the spot right below from the chandelier." Fiona moved the chandelier, holding it in the air. After a few seconds, Bella gave her the signal, and she let go, concentrating on the can, and moving it as she had been told. Bella had thrown a fireball, burning the chandelier to ashes, which fell right into the can. "Very good. Just repeat the process with everything else in the room." She did as she was told. They got rid of everything except the typewriter and the table it was on. They even burned the curtains, letting the light completely flood the room.

"What now?"

"Now, we have a decent area to practice. It's dangerous in the garden, and you never know who may pass by and see flashes of red and blue. This way, we can practice without fear of exposure. Come on, we need to put a few things in the room." They went to a storage room that Fiona hadn't seen before and took a table, two chairs, and a mattress and cushions. They went back and arranged them in the room so that the table and chairs were on one side, and the rest took up the other side, leaving a large space in the middle.

"What do we need all of this for?"

"Well, the table and chairs are for us to eat lunch here, and the rest is for your meditation. You need to meditate to keep your abilities in check. The large area in the middle is for combat practice."

"What do I need combat practice for?"

"Something bad is going to happen soon, and you have to be prepared for it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but I needed to wait for the right moment."

"What's going to happen?"

"A war. There are beings called Grand Alchemists. Areoulis Belli sought to be one, which is why he wanted immortality. He was very powerful, but was still hungry for more. To become a Grand Alchemist, one has to be immortal. The thing that he did not understand was that you had to be chosen. Only a select few every hundred years are chosen. Belli lived through clones for a long time, but was not chosen. You father, he was picked, but declined, much to Belli's chagrin. That's why he ran away. The current immortals spent a long time trying to convince him, but never did. They ended up searching for a new candidate, but didn't find one, until now."

"Who?"

"You, of course! Draven was also supposed to become one, but . . ." she trailed off, not sure if she should say the words out loud.

"Go on."

"So, now you have to train to become one. The war is going to happen amongst all of the candidates. You have to be prepared for anything. You will have to complete three tests. Very few are able to succeed in completing the first one, let alone the other two. If you do, you are granted immortality and more power. That's what Belli had sought after."

"Do I have a choice in this?"

"I suppose you do. Your father turned them down, nothing says that you can't too."

"I-I don't know. I really don't have much left, do I? I would hate to live on and lose you, though."

"Don't worry. Once you are a Grand Alchemist, you may choose to have a friend accompany you during your life."

"Really? Then why did my father decline if he would not be alone?"

"I suppose he wanted to bring both you and his wife."  
"Oh. In that case, I suppose I should try to be one."

"Excellent. Your training begins immediately." She walked over to the meditation area, sitting with her legs crossed and signaling for Fiona to do the same. Fiona followed and saw that Bella had closed her eyes. She did the same. "Now, take in deep breaths, allow your body to relax, and empty your mind. Once you have, concentrate on the energy around you and around me, our auras. To be able to survive, you have to be able to see a person's power, strength. Being able to detect people's aura is key." Fiona did as she was told, making sure to keep all her senses alert. After a while, she began to feel her skin tingling, as she felt her energy. She also felt something pulsating off Bella. She opened her eyes to see that she had a kind of reddish glow around her. It had swirling lights and encased Bella completely. She supposed that this was her aura. She looked down at her hands and saw that her aura was a dark blue, almost black. She guessed it was like this because of her recent heartache, combined with her ice.

"Bella, I can see your aura now." She opened her eyes and was a bit taken aback at how easy this was for her charge.

"Really? What color are yours and mine?"

"You are red and I am an extremely dark blue."

"What does my color signify?"

"The fire you can make and control, along with physical strength. It also shows that you are short tempered."

"Amazing. No one's ever caught on to this that quickly. I like the progress we're making. This will definitely give you the upper hand."

"Thanks. What now?"

"Now, it's time for lunch. Then you can have some free time before we spar, so that I can show you a few fighting moves." Fiona nodded and went to sit at the table. Bella had said that she would go to the kitchen to get lunch.

Bella was beginning to worry. Fiona was learning much too fast, and she was afraid that the power would overwhelm her, like so many before her. She did not want Fiona's heart to freeze, her aura to become black. If that happened, Fiona wouldn't do any good as a Grand Alchemist. She would end up power hungry, longing to be complete. She would never find what she needed, she would become an empty void, taking everything with her. She had the potential to become the best of the best, but it would be ruined if Bella could not stop her heart from freezing over in despair.

She needed help. She needed a way to get through to Fiona. Sure, Fiona wasn't guarded now and she kept reassuring Bella that she would be fine. Bella had actually believed that she may rise above her sadness for a while, until that morning. The last thing she needed was another person who felt incomplete.

She sighed heavily, all she could do was continue to train her. If not for her sake then for Fiona's. Fiona needed a goal, a distraction. This training would be perfect. She just prayed that the power and despair she held would not control her.

She got the food from the kitchen and went back to the room. Just as she was about to go into the training room, she felt a warm breeze and the presence of someone behind her. If it was dangerous, she couldn't tell. She slowly set the food down and turned around, falling into her fighting stance. She saw a shadow around the corner, and went to check what it was. She pressed her body back against the wall, looking around the corner. There, in the middle of the hallway, was a homonculus. It wasn't one of the little ones, but the ones that resembled a human. It was walking around sniffing for something, searching. She made slight move toward it and it sensed her. It turned to look at her. It had no face, but she could tell it was looking straight at her. It ran at her, attempting to attack. She was a bit surprised, but managed to recover and dodged it. Unfortunately, she did not move fast enough, and it managed to hurt her arm, making her bleed.

"Damn." Her arm now lay limp at her side, unmovable from the pain. She used her other hand to shoot a fireball, killing the homonculus. She heard a thud, and the grunts of other homonculus. She went straight to the room where she had left Fiona, and saw that there were two homonculus there, on the floor, dead. She looked over to Fiona and saw that she was in a fighting stance, facing the door. "It's just me. I think we may need to speed up your training, although you pretty much proved yourself by killing these two." This greatly worried Bella, but she didn't show it.

"What are they doing here and why did they attack?"

"I suppose the immortals have started the war early. Our test begins-" She didn't get to finish her sentence. She collapsed, fainting. They both did. But, as quickly as they lost consciousness, they regained it. They had passed out in order for the Grand Alchemists to pass on their instructions. They were to escape the castle, ridding it and the mansion of any homonculus they can find. Once they were finished, they had to go into the forest. There was a shrine deep in the woods, waiting for them, signaling the end of the first challenge.

"W-Was that an immortal?" She had heard a very deep voice in her head.

"Yes, your test has begun Fiona. I'm surprised I have been allowed to assist you. It doesn't matter now, though. We have to finish the task at hand." They headed for their separate rooms, agreeing to meet back there. They needed to change if they were going to fight more homonculus.

_This isn't good, the battle's begun way too soon. I hope Fiona can handle it. Damn it! Draven, we need you now more than ever. _Bella was getting changed, noticing that her bed had new clothes on it. She took it and saw that it looked a bit like modern clothes. It was a pair of black pants, combat boots, black shirt, and a pair of black gloves. There was also a set of dark, blood red armor waiting for her. It was light, yet sturdy, capable of protecting her against strong attacks. She looked like a female knight, except that the armor did not bulge out, but was smooth and comfortable. She finished adjusting her armor and saw that there was a bow and a quiver of arrows waiting for her at the door. She took the quiver and strapped it to her waist, and held her bow in her hand. It was an amazing design, with a rose carved along the wood. Taking one last look at her room, she turned and left.

_Better sooner than later, I suppose. I wonder what will happen when I win? Maybe I'll have enough power to bring Draven back . . . _Fiona also found new clothes that were similar to Bella's. The difference was that her shirt and gloves were gray and her armor was a dark blue that looked more like black. She went over to the bureau, grabbed a ribbon, and tied her hair back. She turned to leave, noticing a rapier near the door. She unsheathed it and admired the beautiful silver blade. She could clearly see her reflection in it. She put it back in the sheathe and strapped it onto her waist. Taking a look around the room for anything that could be potentially useful, she left closing the door behind her.

Something inside her was changing. She used to hate violence, would try her best not to resort to it, but she was looking forward to the carnage ahead. They met up in the training room and decided to draw up a plan.

CLIFFIE! YAY! I'm not too sure if this is a good chapter, but I hope you like it. I still feel as if I'm going WAY off-topic. What do you think? Please review!


	6. Painful Memories and The Game

Well, after a very long, long wait, here it is! The update that took me forever.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. It all belongs to Capcom.

Chapter 6: Painful Memories and The Game.

They decided to make up a route to escape the castle. It took them about an hour to get ready, making sure they had all their supplies. Bella hoped that this would not affect Fiona too much, but slowly lost hope as she saw that Fiona had a glint in her eyes, and it seemed as if she was looking forward to what would happen. Bella was going to have to do her best to keep Fiona from losing her humanity completely.

They left the room, and made their way to the castle gates. Thankfully, Bella had a set of keys that would open them. They arrived at the gates, only to be stopped by five homonculus. They were there as if they had anticipated Bella's plan. They attacked, showing no mercy and an immense thirst for blood. Bella resorted to hand to hand combat, because she wasn't far enough away to use her arrows. Fiona, on the other hand, used her sword to strike them down. It was amazing to watch her fight. Bella noticed that she barely had a chance to attack. Fiona was taking care of them herself. The first four fell easily to her blade, but the last one gave her some trouble.

It struck first, knocking her back. Fiona began to get frustrated. She wanted this over with as soon as possible. She quickly stood, sword at the ready, waiting for it to launch itself at her. It did, and she forced the sword into its chest. It had launched itself with so much force, that the sword had penetrated it completely, and was now sticking out of its back, drenched in blood. She pushed the body off her sword with her foot, causing it to fall, thumping loudly. Fiona had blood dripping from sword. She whipped the sword at her side, and the blood flew away from it and onto the wall. She then turned to Bella.

She was dumbstruck. Fiona's heart was darkening more by the second, and the process of immortality would only make it worse. She truly hoped for a miracle. Fiona needed Draven, and she knew something terrible would happen if she became an immortal. Despite this, she still had to keep helping her, knowing that her destiny would be fulfilled either way.

"Come on, we better get going before any more show up." Bella opened the gate. They walked for a while until they were deep in the forest. Fiona saw a sundial and realized it was the same forest where she had lost Draven for the first time, except she did not know it at the time. She fought the wave of emotion that threatened to overtake her. Bella saw this and some hope sparked in her, that Fiona had not frozen over yet. They did not meet many homonculus, but when they did, Fiona got rid of them pretty quickly. Bella had not used even one of her arrows. She barely had to do anything at all.

"Bella? Are you alright?" Fiona had noticed her uneasiness every time a fight was over. She feared that maybe Bella wasn't feeling too good.

"I'm fine, it's just, you seem to be enjoying yourself too much."

"What are you talking about?"

"Every time you kill a homonculus, there's something in your aura. Something flashes. You are beginning to lose your humanity, little by little. You are resorting to primal instinct way too much. You enjoy the killing, and your heart is beginning to freeze over."

"Freeze over? Why? How?"

"Losing Draven affected you a great deal, and you have to learn to get over it, if not for your sake, then for the sake of others. If you continue like this, you will be a heartless immortal. The point of you becoming one is to better the world, keep control away from people like Belli. At this rate, you will do everything but that." Fiona began to think about what she had said. Bella was right. There was something wrong with her, and she would have to keep herself from changing, even if it would cost her her life.

"Oh, I'm sorry." They continued their path in silence. Finally, they reached the edge of the forest, not having to fight any more homonculus. This test seemed too easy to Bella. She knew there was something terrible ahead.

From the edge of the forest, they could see the tower where Fiona had met Draven. The memories flooded her mind, and it took all her strength to stop the tears. She shook her head, determined not to let it bother her as much as it really did. They stood there for a while, knowing that this had been their destination, but not knowing what to do next. They searched the area for some kind of clue, but they didn't see anything. Fiona walked a little, until she came to the spot where she had seen Draven in Hewie's form, bleeding. She fought the tears again, willing herself to be stronger.

Suddenly, a crimson rose appeared before her. She called Bella, to show her and ask what it was for.

"It's a transport. It will take us to the next stage. All we have to do is touch it." They did, and, as soon as their fingertips touched the rose, the world around them began to change. The air around them seemed to move in waves, until they were in a small room. There were two robes there, and they put them on, also putting on the hoods, somehow knowing they were supposed to, and exited the room. The room they emerged in seemed to be some kind of throne room. It was circular, and they could see that there were other people there, too. There were nineteen others, wearing black hooded robes. They were all standing in a line, and the two joined them. There was a man standing in front of them, dressed in a black robe, and all you could see was his face.

After they were ready, all of them were instructed to stand by each other. When they did, the man in the robe stood aside and another hooded figure spoke.

"Congratulations." The voice was female, "You nineteen have made it through the preliminaries, you will therefore be allowed to participate in the next two trials. Five hundred people had been chosen as candidates, and you are the only ones left. That last test was barely the tip of the iceberg. What you will face now is even worse. The next stage will test your strength." One of the larger robed figures made a satisfied sound. "Oh no, don't get me wrong. I wasn't talking about physical strength, I meant emotional strength. It will test how you react in situations that will take a toll on your emotions. Those of you who pass, advance to the next round." The man spoke now.

"You will go through this round without your partner. This is to see how well you work individually. You will be given thirty minutes to prepare, starting now." Bella immediately turned to Fiona.

"Damn it, it looks like this part will be harder than I thought. Fiona, please try to stay in control. Do not let your guard down for a minute."

"It looks like this round was made specifically for me."

"I know, but don't let it get to you. If the ice in you is good for something, it's good when it comes to covering up emotions. I'm just afraid it will take control."

"Don't worry, it won't." Fiona was reassuring both Bella and herself. She, too, was afraid that the ice may take her. She looked around the room, trying to see the faces under the hoods, but to no avail. The large figure from before was throwing punches into the air, and Fiona could see that his fists glowed. Others were practicing as well, and she could see that all of them were extremely strong.

"Fiona, we should meditate. Come on." She led her to the side, where there were a few pillows. They sat, and spent their prep time in meditation. They both thought about the same thing-Draven. Fiona remembered how much she missed him, and knew that the next round will have something to do with her feelings for him, and she dreaded it. Bella on the other hand, remembered what she heard a few nights ago. She had heard his voice, she knows she did. He said he would come back, and she hoped that it was soon. She tried to reach him through meditation, but she couldn't. She hoped he would appear soon, that Fiona would no longer have to suffer. A bell sounded, signaling the end of their prep time.

"Alright. Each of you will now choose a door to go through. Beyond that door lies your trial. We hope you are ready." They signaled to where the doors were, and each of them chose one, at the sound of another bell, they opened their respective doors, and walked into darkness.

Fiona emerged in a forest. She began to walk, when she heard thumping behind her. She turned around. It was Debilitas.

"Fiona! Fiona!" he said, as he jumped up and down. There was something wrong, her suspicion was confirmed when he approached her, malice in his eyes. She backed away slowly, there came a point where her back hit a tree, and Debilitas was a few steps away. He lifted both his hands, and was bout to strike, when Fiona dodged to the side, causing his fists to collide with the tree. The force that he attacked with was so great, that his hands bled and he yelled out in pain. Fiona couldn't bring herself to hurt him directly, so she would stick with that pattern, until he went away.

She ran, knowing that he ran after her. She reached the mansion entrance, and once again heard her name.

"Fiona . . ." She looked up and saw that Riccardo was there, in front of the door, blocking her entrance. She heard thumping, and turned to see Debilitas. They were both after her now. She took out her sword, prepared to fight Riccardo. He shot at her, and she used her sword to deflect the bullet. She ran at him, and swung her sword. He moved to the side, dodging it, but giving her the opening she needed to continue running. She entered the mansion, running through a door that led to a hall. She could still hear them after her, so she ran faster. She needed to find a way to get rid of them or she would not advance to the next round.

She finally made it to a room where she could hide for a while. She opened the closet door, but she found that she couldn't hide there. Daniella was there, glass sword in hand.

"Miss Fiona . . ." She swung with the glass, but Fiona blocked it with her own sword. She smacked Daniella's hand away, turning around and running. She left the room, but found herself surrounded by the three of them. She moved in the only direction she could, and ran as fast as her legs could take her. She found a door and went through it, shutting it closed behind her, and putting her back to it, sitting on the floor. She tried to control her breathing, and her ice that threatened to cover up all her fear forever. She had to keep everything under control.

"My Fiona . . ." She looked up to see Lorenzo looking down at her, in his younger form. She rolled to the side, avoiding his grasp. She stood up, and held her sword at the ready. She began to attack, but he somehow blocked every move with his power, putting up invisible barriers to keep himself safe. He attacked, but she dodged it, finding her opening and running out the door. The other three were once again blocking her way, only allowing her one route. She ran, but came to a dead end. She turned around,sword at the ready. The four of them were standing before her, ready to attack. She swung at Riccardo first, but Lorenzo surprised her by putting up a shield to protect him. She was caught of guard, and Daniella hurt her with the piece of glass, knocking her down and giving Debilitas the chance to kick her like he had the last time he had chased her. He kicked her arm, making her let go of the sword. He jumped back at Lorenzo's command, making way for him. They began to close in on her, Lorenzo in the lead. Fiona was too weak to get up, and she prayed that this was all a nightmare, that it would end.

She looked at her captors, and imagined what it would have been like if she had refused the offer to be immortal. Time seemed to slow down as they made their way to her. Her eyes were beginning to close, but not before she saw a cloaked figure appear before her. The new arrival's aura caused her to strain herself to stay awake. She sensed death, lots of it. The figure made them back off enough for Fiona to recover a bit, getting up and taking her sword. She stood at the ready, letting her ice take over for a bit, but maintaining as much control as possible. Her fear froze and, with a strength she didn't recognize, she struck her captors down, one by one, completely ignoring the cloaked figure. Once she struck the last of them, she turned, remembering what had happened.

The figure was gone. It must have left while she was fighting. She wondered if the help would affect the outcome of the round. She began to walk back, making it to where she had started the ordeal. The air around her began to waver, and she appeared in a room. It looked like some kind of torture chamber. There was a fire place, a chair with a body strapped to it, and some kind of closet with spikes protruding from the floor, with a lever next to it. _What now?_ she thought.

Suddenly, the door opened behind her and she saw Riccardo walk in, but he didn't seem to notice her. He was holding some kind of leash, and, when she followed the length of the rope, she saw that it ended at the neck of a dog. A white German Shepherd.

"Draven!" Neither of them seemed to notice her. Riccardo went right past her, and tied Draven to the lever. He then took out a whip. He began to hurt him.

"Change back!" he yelled, as he whipped Draven. He wouldn't listen, and just growled at him. The whipping continued, and it was taking a huge toll on Draven. He finally fell, too weak to resist the immense pain. When he fell, he changed back. He was dressed in similar clothes as before, except it was all bloody now. Riccardo stopped with the whip and decided to kick him in the stomach. With every thump of his foot against Draven, Fiona felt her heart breaking, little by little.

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" She kept yelling the same thing over and over, even though she knew he didn't hear her. When she saw the blood begin to pour out of him faster, she lost it. She took her sword and lunged at Riccardo, hitting him with all her might. What surprised her the most was not her outburst, but the fact that Riccardo fell, bleeding uncontrollably from the hole she made in his back. Once he was out of the way, she rushed to Draven. It was all she could to stop herself from collapsing in tears. She reached out to him, trying to touch his cheek, but she couldn't. All she could do was watch him die, again. "No . . . Please, don't die, don't leave me again."

Her vision was blurred by her tears, and she couldn't even see him lying in front of her. Then, she heard footsteps behind her again. She grabbed her sword, ready to kill anyone who bothered her. She still couldn't see well, but saw the outline of a man.

"What do you want from me now? Why can't I just be left in peace? Please, just leave me alone." She saw the figure come closer, and she recognized him as the one who had helped her before. He came closer, and Fiona extended her arm, placing the sword at the spot that she thought was his neck. Her tears spilled over, and she could see. The figure pushed her sword away easily, making it look as if it were a piece of scrap metal. Fiona was too exhausted to do anything about it. Her arms fell to her sides, letting her sword fall. He came even closer and the world around her was fading into black. Fiona felt helpless, hoping that, if he was going to kill her, that it would be quick. The attack never came. He put his arms around her, lowering his head, so that his mouth was by her ear.

"Did you really think that you would be able to kill me with my own weapon?" He chuckled after he said this, and Fiona recognized the voice. It was Draven's, but she couldn't be sure, since all the clones had the same voice. She pushed away from him.

"Who are you?" She tried to look underneath the hood, but couldn't see his face.

"It's me, Draven," he said, as he removed his hood, revealing his face. It _was_ him. She couldn't believe it. He was right there in front of her, and she had pushed away from him. Tears began to well up again, but she let them spill freely this time.

"Oh my God, I can't believe it's really you . . ." She lifted her hand to touch his cheek. As her fingertips traced his jaw, he began to fade, until he disappeared. The last thing she saw before he faded away completely, was his smile. "No! Come back!" Sadness threatened to take over, but was beaten by anger. She picked up her sword, holding the hilt tightly. She closed her eyes, hoping that this nightmare would end when she opened them.

It didn't.

She opened her eyes, only to see that she was back in the throne room. It was empty, until, a few seconds later, other people began to materialize in front of her. She noticed that her hood was back over her head, as was everyone else's. She looked around, searching for Bella's aura. She was one of the last to arrive, and Fiona had feared she had not survived.

"Bella! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. My trial was to face Daniella and the Bellis. What was yours?"

"Pretty much the same, except that Debilitas, Daniella, and all the Bellis went after me at once. Then, I saw Draven being tortured, then I saw him again, alive. I really thought he was back, but I realize now that it was just part of the trial, testing how well I handle my anger and happiness." Bella thought about this for a while. How would the immortals know about Draven and Fiona's relationship? They couldn't have seen what happened in their time together, could they? She pushed the thought out of her mind, and continued speaking to Fiona.

"That's horrible. The immortals really are looking for strong people, aren't they?"

"I guess you're right." They turned to the two cloaked figures, who were about to speak.

"Very well," this was the woman's voice, "I see only nine of you survived."

"You will be given one day to rest, so the next exam begins in twenty-four hours. Until then, feel free to explore the castle, and use any supplies you deem important. We will be expecting you in this room tomorrow." Everyone scattered then, to explore and look for any means to make this easier on them. Fiona and Bella looked for a room where they could rest and meditate. They found a hall that had labeled doors, one with their name on it. They opened the door, and saw that it was an extravagant room that made Belli Castle look like Barbie's Playhouse.

There were two large beds, one on each side of the room. It was decorated in the color blue and red, matching the occupant's auras. There was a large dresser in between, which held different clothes for them to wear. They changed out of their bloodstained clothes into dresses (ha! Back in a dress!). Fiona's dress was a dark blue, and Bella's was a bright crimson. They put their things at the feet of their beds, and left to find something to eat, both of them tired from their ordeals.

YAY! I finally updated! I thought I'd never finish. I had a SERIOUS case of writer's block. Thankfully, through the wonders of sitting in front of my computer screen all day, I overcame it. I know you'll probably hate me as you read this (disneysheep wants to kill me), but DO NOT WORRY. Only a little bit left before the end (hint, hint!).


	7. A Break and some more Fun!

Well, here it is. I hope no one wants to kill me for having them wait so long. . .

* * *

Chapter 7: A Break, and Some More Fun!

They explored the castle, and saw that it was very similar to Belli Castle, but it was much larger. They didn't see all of it, but did manage to find the kitchen. There was a note there telling them that all the candidates could help themselves to whatever they could find. Fiona and Bella ate in silence, glad to have a moment of peace. Suddenly, Bella felt something move around them. She looked around but didn't see anything.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I thought I felt something. Fiona, do you think Draven's still alive?"

"I hope so. You don't know what Debilitas did with his body, do you?"

"No. But it would be nice if he would come back. Perhaps it really was him who you saw during your exam. Maybe he's taking care of us."

"That'd be nice, wouldn't it?"

"Mm hm." They finished their dinner in silence, and took a walk. The castle was so large, that they didn't see anyone in any of the sections they explored. They didn't find anything of interest, so they headed back early. Fiona was still thinking about the fact that Draven may have survived. She really hoped he had, she needed him. She hoped he was the one who had helped her.

On the way to their room, Fiona noticed a pair of large oak doors that she hadn't paid attention to before. There were intricate carvings, making it absolutely beautiful. It was a large rose, encircled by vines with thorns. It seemed to be calling to her, making her stop. Bella was a few steps away before she noticed that Fiona had stopped. She turned back to see what was so interesting about a door.

"What is it Fiona?"

"I don't know . . . There's something about this door, this room. I feel a kind of magnetic pull. There's something in there calling to me, but I don't sense the aura of anyone. The room is empty. Should I go in?" Bella thought about this for a moment. She knew they still had plenty of time, but she wasn't sure if it was safe. Whether Draven was alive or not, he'd never forgive Bella for letting Fiona get hurt. She didn't sense anything from the room, and she knew that whatever was in there was meant for Fiona alone, if it really was calling her. She didn't sense any danger either, but something still unnerved her.

"I'm not sure. If something calling to you, it's meant for you alone. I don't sense anything, good or bad, so I'm obviously not supposed to get involved. I don't know what to do. My job is to keep you safe, but I think you should go in, and I'll wait out here."

"No, you go back to the room, so I can use your aura to get there faster. I'll leave as soon as I stop feeling the pull. Like you said, it's meant for me, so you should just go and take a break. We can't both be tired for tomorrow, can we?" Fiona tried to smile, but failed miserably. Bella just nodded. She turned to leave and wished Bella luck with whatever it was she was going to do.

After making sure that Bella was out of sight, Fiona reluctantly put her hand on the door, pushing it open. Before her stood the a library. It was colossal. Nothing like she'd ever seen. It made the huge library at her college look like a play pen. She went inside, marveling at the amount of bookshelves. How much information could there be in here? She figured that, with the things she knew about the immortals, this room contained the history of the world, and that thought frightened and fascinated her.

She let the pull guide her, and it maneuvered her across the library. It was like a maze of winding bookshelves. She read the headings of every section. Events, Creatures, Battles, Strategies . . . the list went on and on. But the pull didn't stop at any of those shelves. It stopped at the very end of the large room. The entire trip made her head spin, and she was trying to remember how to get back. Then she looked up at the label on the shelf she stopped at. Deaths and Immortals. Why would I stop here? But the pull had stopped, clearly stating that this was where she was meant to be. She began to look at the books, trying to find what it was she was meant to see. Her hand brushed across the various titles, mostly just famous names or dictionary-like books, which listed deaths in alphabetical order. Then there were those that listed the Immortals. Although, the book that drew her attention first was one of the death lists. She took it and saw that it contained the deaths of people with names that started from A to B. It was an extremely thick book. She knelt on the floor and opened it in front of her. It opened to the page with names that started with the letter B. There was one name in particular that caught her attention.

Belli, Fiona- born October 31st ,1988; died November 25th, 2006. Killed by Areoulis Lorenzo Belli.

Needless, to say, these few words frightened her, causing her to fall back. She stared at the book. I can't really be dead, can I? I'm right here, I'm alive. She scanned the page, noticing that the majority of the names were Belli. All of the ones she had killed were there too. Then she saw another name.

Belli, Isabella- born November 10th 1986; died September 21st, 2005. Killed by Daniella Belli.

This made everything so much worse for her. Why was she meant to see this, and not Bella? Bella had a right to know. But how could she not know she was dead? How could neither of them know? She frantically searched for one more name, a name she knew had to be there. She didn't find him, though. He was perhaps the only Belli that wasn't listed. Draven wasn't marked as dead. What kind of a cruel joke was this? It didn't make any sense. Bella and Fiona couldn't be dead. This couldn't be real. She searched every page that had a Belli on it. She ripped them out of the book, closing the book and taking the papers in her hand, leaving the one with her name and Bella on top. The tears were beginning to cloud her vision. No . . . this can't be happening to me. We're not dead . . . we can't be. She felt another tug, but ignored it this time, running out of the library, not caring to close the door. She searched for Bella's aura, finding it close by and letting it guide her to the room.

When she got there, she noticed that Bella was lying face up on the bed, waiting for her. She seemed very relaxed, almost happy. It crushed Fiona to tell her about the book she found.

"Oh, you're back. So what was in that room?"

"A library . . ."

"What? Why would you be led to a library?"

"I was pulled to a section titled Deaths and Immortals." She then handed her the pages she held in her hand. Bella looked at her quizzically. She took the papers and looked at the first one. Her face was surprised at first, and then it paled, she continued down the list, and her face became ashen. Her lips began to quiver, and, despite the fact that she had never seen Bella cry, she knew that she would, as she watched her eyes brim over with tears.

"H-How is this possible?" Her voice was shaking.

"I-I'm not really s-sure." She could hear herself beginning to cry, as well. "I was immediately drawn to this book. I saw the pages, ripped them out, and ran back, wanting to show you. What's even worse, is that Draven isn't on any of those papers. I don't understand any of this." Bella seemed to be thinking something over.

"Alright. This is what we're going to do. That library should have the names of all the participants in this tournament. I think that, maybe, you can only compete if you've died. Perhaps that was the only way to gather the participants without the regular humans realizing what was going on . . . That would mean that Draven didn't die, and that we're in a completely different dimension all together. I can't imagine why none of the books in the library at Belli Castle didn't have this information." This seemed to calm them a little, but Fiona was still wondering about the fact that she had died, and not Draven. It didn't make any sense. She had seen him get killed, had felt his lips go cold. This was impossible, but, deep inside, she knew it was probably true.

The book had said she'd been killed by Belli. Had he risen from the lava again? Had he killed her as she lay beside Draven? That didn't explain how Draven didn't die though . . . Bella saw the look on Fiona's face.

"Fiona? You alright?"

"Yeah . . ."

"Ok, so let's head back to the library and find a book with the names of living people, if he's not among the dead, that's the only other option we have." That settled it, and they headed back. Once they arrived, Fiona showed Bella the section where she found the book, taking the book and showing it to her. Bella examined it carefully, muttering under her breath. She then went on to look through the rest of the books, examining titles, until she found the one she was looking for. It was similar to the death lists, but was titled Living. She opened it and began to look for Draven. She flipped through several pages and finally gave up, looking at Fiona with a puzzled look. "He's not here . . . how is that possible?"

"What? Can I see?" Fiona took the book, looking through the pages with names that started with Belli. There were no Bellis listed as living. They were all dead. Fiona didn't understand, and she was getting worried. If Draven wasn't dead or alive, what was he? They stood in silence for a while, until there was a kind of chime. A voice sounded all over the room.

"Contestants, it is suggested that you begin to go back to your rooms, and rest. Sleep, because you may not get another chance to do so." Fiona and Bella took the voice's advice, putting the book back in its place. They went back to their room, deep in thought. Bella had a theory of what Draven could be, but she didn't want to make Fiona hopeful, and turn out to be wrong. She was surprised that Fiona hadn't thought of it yet. Maybe the fact that she saw him die affected her judgment.

They arrived at their room and decided to sleep. Bella was sound asleep before Fiona's eyelids even began to get heavy. She stared up at the canopy, remembering everything that had happened to her. She started by recalling the crash. Her parents, she hadn't thought of looking for them, but she knew they were dead. Belli had said so himself, and she doubted that, if she had any ties to the real world left, she would have been chosen for the competition. After a few more minutes, she finally slept. It was a dreamless sleep, but she could feel something nagging her in the back of her head.

When they woke up, it was because of a strange buzzing noise. They gathered their things as they heard the same voice from before, "All candidates must gather in the main hall, where the final trial will be explained." They hurried to prepare, eager to get everything done and over with. They were dressed in the same clothes as the day before, but they noticed that they had been cleaned. They took their time getting to the hall, noticing that they were being surrounded by the remaining contestants. They arrived, and the cloaked figures from before were waiting for them.

"Now that you are all here, we can begin an explanation of the next trial. It will consist of two parts. The first will test your physical strength, the second, your intelligence and values, beliefs, whatever you want to call it."

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Alright, that is where I will leave this chapter. I'm sorry it took so long, and I hope no one hates me. There's only a little left before the end, and it's all planned out in my head. Until the next chap . . . (which I plan on making very soon.) Please review! 


	8. The Final Trial, and some more tears

Alright, I hope to get this out fast enough . . .

Disclaimer:(i forgot to put it in the last chap.)I don't own Haunting Ground, but, as I stated before Draven is mine! And so is Bella.

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Chapter 8: The Final Trial and some more tears . . .

"Ok, you will each go through this door, one at a time. The rest will wait while the candidate completes the trial. Once they are finished, if they finish, the next person will be called. The order was chosen at random." _If they finish? That doesn't sound very promising . . . _Fiona thought to herself. Bella was having similar thoughts. It was doing much for their morale. The figure went on to explain that the decisions they make in the final trial was crucial . . . That it meant the difference between death and immortality. There was also a time limit. They said it was a relatively short trial, and they would monitor it. Each candidate had thirty minutes to complete the trial. If they took too long or failed, then that's when the next person would be called. Needless to say, that didn't do anything for Fiona and Bella's morale. The cloaked figure was done with the speech and gave them five minutes, while another figure appeared. This figure had a list, and called out the first name.

"Isabella Belli . . ." It wasn't the name that made Bella look up, but the feeling she got coming from him. She could also hear an underlying anxiety in his voice. Fiona didn't notice anything, she was deep in meditation.

"Brother . . .?" Bella looked at the cloaked figure, finding his aura. Deep maroon. It was him, no one else could possibly have that fierce, and yet calm, aura about them. "It is you . . ." He seemed to be ignoring her. _Brother, do not ignore me! What are you doing here?_

_Why am _I_ here? I died, remember?_

_Yes, but . . . You weren't listed in the death book. We also couldn't find you in the list of the living . . . I had my suspicions and I'm glad I was right._

_We? Who else is with you . . ?_

_Fiona, she died after you did._

_No . . . She shouldn't be here. She wasn't properly trained._

_I suppose that's why I died. I was supposed to train her if you couldn't remember? I guess it was fate . . . Her death was part of it._

_Where is she . . ?_

_The one with the ice blue aura . . ._

_Why is she so . . . cold?_

_She doesn't know where you are. She was sure you were dead. Those books changed everything. I wouldn't put it past her to fail this trial if she thought you died. She saw you a few times during the second trial, too._

_How? I wasn't anywhere near her. Arella, the female immortal, was in charge of that one. How could she have known about . . ?_

_You're asking me?_

_I think I know. I was made an immortal shortly after I died. That meant that the other immortals had total access to my thoughts. They must have seen the time I spent with her, and combined it with my past. I also slept through most of the trials, since the immortalization process takes a lot out of you, my energy was drained. Perhaps my spirit, of its own will, traveled to Fiona. That's all I can think of._

_It makes sense. Please, talk to her. You have to let her know you're here. I don't think she considered the third option when she looked at the books._

_I can't . . . She has to pass the final trial in order to see nay of our faces. _Bella had arrived at the door and opened it. _Good luck . . . _All she did in response was take a deep breath. She stepped forward, blinded by light. The door closed behind her, and the third trial began.

Fiona ended her meditation and stood up, just in time to see the doors close behind Bella. "Good luck, Bella," she whispered. She looked around the room, noticing that everyone was wearing their cloaks, just like her. She looked up at the figure that had called out Bella's name. He, because she could tell it was a guy, seemed to be looking at his list.

Suddenly, he called, "Fiona Belli." _Has it really been that long already? _Fiona looked at a large Grandfather clock. Bella had only been gone for ten minutes. She had not come back either. She walked to the cloaked figure, who was standing by the door. Before she even asked, he said, "Bella is fine. She passed the trial, and is waiting on the other side." He didn't speak anymore, and the door opened. She walked through . . . wondering why the voice was so familiar.

Then she realized something . . . how did he know to call her Bella? Fiona wondered the entire time, not paying attention to her surroundings. She snapped out of it, planning on asking Bella was she saw her. She looked around, and saw that it was some kind of dungeon. She unsheathed her sword, sensing that something was coming. She began to walk, taking in the strange scenery. The walls were just rock, and it looked slimy, humid. The floor wasn't slippery, though. Torches lit up the way. She came to a fork in the hallway, and heard a noise coming from her right. She decided to follow it. Every time she came to a fork, she listened for a noise. She would go in the direction of the sound. After what seemed like ten minutes, Fiona came to a door, which had a large rose carved into it. She opened the door, sensing that beyond it was the source of the noise.

She came to a kind of hall. It looked like a ballroom, and was filled to the brim with homonculus. They all came at her like zombies, trying to grab her. With her sword at the ready, she charged, striking them down. Blood was staining her cloak, making it heavy and impairing her movement. She took the cloak off, not losing her flow of attacks. After a long time, she was surrounded by corpses. The homonculus lay on the floor, dead. Every single one of them with blood coming out of different gashes on their bodies. Her body was splattered with blood, and some of her hair, which had come loose, was matted to her face, framing it. She put the locks behind her ears, and walked to the other side of the room, where she saw another door.

This one didn't have a design on it, so she didn't stop. She went through and emerged in another part of the strange dungeon. It was the same as before, but lacked the strange noises. She ran this time, glad that there weren't any forks. She came to the end, and there were two door, each with a guard. She saw that there was a sign in the middle, and she approached it to read.

_**You have made it passed the first part of the third trial, but can you make it past this one?**_

_**Each of these doors contains a path.**_

_**One of them leads to Immortality and Knowledge,**_

_**The other leads to Mortality and Ignorance.**_

_**There are two guards,**_

_**One is the Liar**_

_**The other tells the Truth**_

_**The trial is this:**_

_**You may ask one question, the same question to both guards.**_

_**Using that question, you must figure out which guard is which, and which door is which.**_

_**Once you know, it is your choice as to which path you take.**_

_**What is your question?**_

Fiona had to admit, this was not an easy trial. She had heard of riddles like this. It's always hard to figure out, but, once you know the answer, it seems utterly easy. Pure logic. She began to think. She looked at the guards, they were cloaked figures again. If she asked which door was which, the liar would lie. If she asked a yes or now question, the would just say the opposite of the other. She looked back up to the sign, thinking. That's when she recognized the question. There had been a similar one her college entrance exam. She had had longer to think about it though, but she remembered the answer. She had been right on the application, so she decided to try the same one here.

"My question . . . What would the other guard say if I asked for the Door of Immortality and Knowledge?"(a/n: I'll explain at the end of the chap.) Both guards pointed at the door on the right. Fiona was satisfied. The door on the right led to Mortality and Ignorance, the door on the left led to Immortality and Knowledge. Before taking the door on the left, she stopped to think. What would happen if she picked to be mortal and ignorant. She would forget about all of this, would she not? That's what ignorance meant. Ignorance is bliss, isn't it? She was about to change doors when she remembered Bella. Her friend. Fiona was probably the only friend she had ever had. This made the decision so much worse. She wanted to forget. But she didn't want to leave Bella. If she became an Immortal, the memories of Draven would haunt her forever. If she chose to forget, she had a chance to be happy . . .

But she'd be alone . . . She also felt bad for Bella, just like she had felt bad for Daniella. Fiona didn't have anyone to go back to, and she knew the dead could not be brought back. The tears began to roll down her face, as her emotions waged war inside her. After a long time of debating, she finally chose a door. The door on the left. She would go on, despite the nightmares and memories she knew would haunt her. She wanted to help others, and the best way to do so was to be immortal, help keep people safe. She wasn't going to pass up a chance to be useful so that she wouldn't have bad dreams. She would learn to cope with her past. It was her family history, something she couldn't afford to forget.

She walked through the door, and came to another hall. It was similar to the throne room, but empty. She walked to the throne and saw that there was a cloaked figure standing before her, bearing a sword. Fiona decided to speak when she noticed that the figure wasn't attacking.

"Who are you?" The response came from the walls.

"An immortal who wished to have all the power. Dispose of him, and you will take his place. Your sword was dipped in poison that can kill an immortal." The figure went into a fighting stance, so she followed suit. He charged, trying to hit her stomach. Fiona parried the blow, causing him to jump back. She was the one to charge, this time. She went for his arm and managed to disable it. He was stuck fighting one handed. He blocked several of her attacks, but wasn't fast enough. She saw an opening and plunged the sword into his chest. He stopped moving, going limp on her sword. He was shaking, and she pulled the sword out. He fell back, his hood also falling.

"No . . . Draven . . ." He was there, on the floor. His eyes were empty, staring at the ceiling, but seeing nothing. His beautiful dark eyes . . . Fiona collapsed to her knees, crying. The sword was at her side, and the scene was painfully familiar. It was like her second trial. She wiped the tears and realized the body had disappeared.

"Fiona . . . are you ok?" It was Bella.

"Yeah. I'm fine . . . Where were you?"

"I passed my trial, and so did you. The immortalization will begin shortly."

"And the others? How many of them passed?

"Two or three, I think. The majority chose mortality when they came to the doors." _I had come close to that, too . . , _they both thought at the same time.

"Oh. Where do we go now?"

"Come on, I have to take you to the second throne room, where the process will take place." Bella helped Fiona stand and led her out of the room. They made their way through halls and finally arrived at a pair of oak doors. They opened, welcoming the two of them.

It was the same as the other room. Waiting for them, were two of cloaked figures. One of them motioned for them to go to where he was, signaling at Bella to come closer first. She stood in front of him. He took his right hand and placed it over her head, mumbling something. A glow was emitted from his hand, and Bella collapsed, the figure catching her. Her body disappeared.

"Do not worry, her body was placed in you rooms." Then the figure told her to approach him. She went through the same process. There was an immense pain, nut she didn't scream. She felt drained of energy and fell. But, instead of the same figuring catching her, it was the other one. The arms were so familiar to her. She tried to stay awake, and he noticed this.

"It's over now Fiona . . . you're safe." He caressed her face lightly with his fingertips. That was the last thing she felt before sleep overtook her.

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It's kinda short, oh well.  
Yay! Almost done.

Ok. to explain the answer to the riddle-

When you ask the liar, what will the other guard say, he will obviously lie. So, if the other guard were to say his own door, the liar would not point to it. The other guard will just tel the truth and point at the door that the liar would have pointed to, causing them both to point at the same door.

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Well, 'til next time! Please REVIEW! 


	9. The Beginning of An Eternity

Alright. Final Chap . . . here goes . . .

Disclaimer: Everything except the stuff I made up belongs to the brilliant and sadistic(i mean that in a good way) minds of Capcom.

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Chapter 9: The Beginning of an Eternity . . .

"Fiona . . . Fiona wake up." It was an unfamiliar voice. She sat up, looking groggily around the room. She was on a hospital bed, and saw a doctor. She had a kindly face and short red hair.

"What? Where am I?"

"You're at Holy Cross Hospital. You've been in a coma for a week."

"How do you know my name?"

"We found you near a crash sight . . . The other passengers didn't make it. We found your school I.D."

"Oh." She had a sense of deja vu, and was surprised that their death did not impact her that badly. The doctor told her that some tests would be done later, and left the room. She continued to look around the room, feeling that there was something wrong. She looked down at her hands, wondering what exactly was wrong with her. Something was nagging her at the back of her mind. A memory, something she had worked hard to repress. Then it came to the front of her mind. All the memories. The last one to pass was that of two strong, warm arms around her. The name echoed in her mind. _Draven . . ._ She remembered everything. She tried to summon her ice, but couldn't.

"Was it all a dream . . . ?" She shook her head. No. A memory that vivid couldn't be a dream, but why couldn't she summon the ice? Was she made into a mortal? Had she made a mistake, and chosen the wrong door? No, she couldn't have. She was supposed to forget. She remembered everything . . . "No, I don't want to remember. If I'm stuck as a mortal, I don't want to . . . feel like . . . I've lost him . . ." The tears began to flow freely, her sobs shaking her body. She closed her eyes and lay back, trying to forget, trying to convince herself that it was all a dream.

_Meanwhile . . _

Fiona writhed in her sleep, unable to keep still. Draven and Bella could only watch as she struggled. They were both dressed the way they usually were.

"Brother, why won't she wake up?"

"I don't know. She should've woken up by now. Go get Arella and Tom." She left. He walked over to her, sitting beside her on the bed. She began to mumble.

"I don't want to . . . feel like . . . I've lost him."

"Fiona?" He gently stroked her cheek with his hand. "Love, wake up, I'm right here . . ." Her face was contorted in pain. If it was physical pain, Draven didn't know. Tears began to stream out of her closed eyes. Draven quickly brushed them away, not being able to stand seeing her cry.

&&&&&&&&&

"Why? Why do I have to remember? I can't take it . . ." Fiona was staring at the ceiling. She couldn't believe what was happening to her. How could she be mortal and still remember?

&&&&&&&&&

Arella, a beautiful middle aged woman walked in. She had long dark hair and blue eyes. She was still wearing her cloak, but had her hood down. Behind her came Tom, he, too was middle aged, but had short dirty blonde hair, and was dressed the same. Bella closed the door and turned to them.

"Bella told you what's wrong?"

"Yes. I believe I know why she won't wake." This was Arella speaking, trying to calm him down, noticing the anxiety in his tired voice. "She went through a lot of emotional stress and was traumatized. I went through the same thing. The shock and trauma combined made her reject the immortality, but keep the memories. She's currently awake in a hospital room, and remembers everything. She probably feels like a mortal, as well. What she is currently experiencing is in her own mind. She has somehow shut off everything around her. She will be trapped in that world unless we can find a way to make her feel that this world is real. The only option I can think of right now would be to inflict physical damage on her."

"Absolutely not. I will not hurt, nor will I allow anyone to hurt her."

"I'm sorry . . ." This was Tom, "You must find a different way then. Until you can make her feel that this world is real, she will not wake and the stress on her mind will kill her . . ." They left the room, leaving Bella and Draven to think about what they could do. Draven saw that Bella looked really worn out.

"Sister, you should sleep. You seem tired . . ."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to see if I can think of a way to wake her up. You need to rest, so go." She did as he said, and Draven was left alone with Fiona.

"I can't take it . . ." She was mumbling again. Draven decided to try to wake her by speaking only.

"Fiona," he leaned down to put his mouth by her ear. "Wake up, I'm right here, waiting for you. Bella wants to see you, too. We're worried Fiona . . . please, come back to us . . . to me."

&&&&&&&&&

"Come back to us . . . to me." Fiona felt that she was hearing things. Draven voice hovered around her, and she tried to block it out, tried to forget. The strain she was causing her mind made her sleepy. She was suddenly exhausted, and collapsed back into the bed.

&&&&&&&&&

Fiona stopped moving, and her body became cold. _No . . . she can't be dead . . . she can't die! _Her face also paled. Draven checked for her pulse, and was relieved to feel that it was still there. It was faint, though, and he could tell it was getting weaker. She would die within the hour if he didn't wake her. He didn't want to hurt her though, especially now, that she was in such a weak condition, and so vulnerable. He was struggling with the emotions in him. His desire to try to wake her up, against his desire to keep her from harm. He was almost going to try to hurt her to wake her up, when he realized something. _I love her . . . I can't hurt her . . . _He looked at his hands, angry with himself for considering it. He looked down at Fiona, hating the fact that she looked so delicate and that he couldn't protect her.

Draven decided to let fate decide if Fiona would survive or not. He leaned over and kissed her, similar to how she had done when he died.

&&&&&&&&&

She was surrounded by darkness, and felt something come in contact with her lips. Feeling returned to the rest of her body, and she realized she was lying on a bed, and there was a hand on her cheek. She recognized the warmth and aura, and didn't need to open her eyes to know who was kissing her. She responded, putting her hand over the one on her cheek, and finding his cheek with her other hand. She sensed Draven's surprise but was glad that he didn't stop the kiss. After a while, he gently pushed away from her. She kept her eyes closed, though, wishing it hadn't ended.

Fiona finally opened them to see that she was lying on a canopy bed. She looked around the room and saw that the color scheme was deep maroon and silver. Her eyes finally came to rest on Draven. He was looking at her with a strange glint in his eyes that she had only seen in two other people before. Her parents. That was how they had looked at each other. She recognized it as love. _Draven loves me?_ She sat up, so she could be at his eye level. He just continued to look at her, and she knew she was looking at him the same way. He brought his hand to her cheek again and she relished in his touch. She allowed a content smile to spread across her face. She closed her eyes again, loving the warmth that came from him. When she opened her eyes, she saw that he had tears in his.

"Fiona . . . I thought I'd lost you." This time, she didn't hesitate.

"You'll never lose me . . ." She initiated the kiss this time, and they laid down on the bed. Fiona snuggled close to him, and Draven put one hand on her cheek and the other arm around her, holding her close, never letting go again. A million questions invaded her head again. "Draven?"

"Yes, love?" The endearment made her insides flutter.

"What happened? After, you know . . ."

"After I died?"

"Mm hm."

"I became an immortal. I had been on their list for a while. They didn't bother with the trials."

"Oh. Did you know that I . . . ?"

"No. I didn't know. You weren't supposed to compete for another year. The Other Realms were the ones competing. A year from now was when the living would compete. None of this would have happened if I had taken better care of you . . ." He seemed angry at himself.

"Don't. Don't blame yourself. Everything turned out ok. We're together, and that's all that matters."

"Yes, and I'll never let you go again . . . you don't mind, do you?"

"No, I don't mind." She signed contentedly, thinking about the eternity ahead of her. "Um, I know this sounds silly, but were you in my second trial?"

"No, I wasn't. I was asleep until the second trials ended."

"Oh, I was just wondering, since you helped me get through it."

"How?"

"You fought off the Bellis, Debilitas, and Daniella, while I was recovering. You faded after they were gone, though. I wasn't sure if that had been you, or just part of the trial."

"I think that was me. My spirit must have wandered away from my body. My need to protect you must have taken over, and searched for you." So he was the one who had provided her with weapons. Then she remembered something.

"Draven, at the end of the third trial, I killed you. I was told to dispose of an immortal and, when the hood came off, it was you . . . I thought I . . ."

"No, that wasn't me. That immortal had been Lorenzo's apprentice and very loyal to him. He tried to resurrect him, so he needed to be disposed of. He morphed into me to have a last laugh against you." She shuddered as she remembered what it felt like to see him, dead because of her. He held her closer, knowing what she was thinking. The tears began to flow again. He just held her, letting her vent, remembering what he had said to her before. After a while, the tears stopped, but her shaking continued. He used his thumb to wipe her cheeks.

"Thanks."

"Shh. It's ok . . . try to rest." He put his finger under her chin and brought it up to his. He kissed her softly. Fiona melted into him completely. She let sleep overtake her, and closing her eyes, she said,

"I love you . . ."

"I love you, too." And they both let their fatigue take over.

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Well, that's it. I probably have an epilogue coming up, but it will be short.

Please review!


	10. Epilogue

Alright, this is the Epilogue/ Thanx page.

Disclaimer: You should know by now . . .

Epilogue:

Three months later . . .

Fiona woke up in the crimson room, feeling a strong arm over her. She was used to it now, though. The first few days had been strange for her. Everything was explained, and she was able to spend a lot of time with Bella. There had only been one other person who passed, besides Bella and herself. Another guy. His name was William. He was tall, had dark hair, and blue eyes. Bella had fallen for him immediately. They were currently together, as well. Bella spent a lot of her time talking about him. Just like Fiona was deeply involved with Draven, Bella was just as involved with William. They called him Will for short.

The first few days were spent in recovery for her. Every night she would go to bed with Draven at her side, holding her. But she would wake up, and be surprised that he was there. It took her about a week to get used to having him all the time. She had nightmares. Every night she would relive Draven's death. Both of them. She would see him the first time, and then the time after her third trial. Whenever she got restless and moved to much, Draven would wake her, kiss her deeply, and hold her closer than he already did.

They were also assigned to different aspects of the universe. Fiona was assigned to the living, keeping track of people and possible candidates. Draven did the same, but with the dead. Bella and William were also assigned to other realms. The ones in charge were Arella and Tom, who were also in a relationship.

Fiona sat up, and attempted to leave the bed. It was a failed attempted because he just tightened his grip, not letting her go. Fiona smiled, looking down at the fake-sleeping Draven. There was a ghost of a smile on his peaceful face.

"Dray, let go . . ." He was as solid as a rock, except for a small moment, when he chuckled. "Please?" Still nothing. She leaned down to kiss the corner of his mouth, teasing him. He let go of her waist in order to capture her neck, but Fiona saw her opening and left the bed. She turned to look at him, still on the bed. There was a faint smile on his lips, but he still had his eyes closed. She laughed silently, amazed that he could actually be hers. In her eyes, he was perfect. And, whenever he held her, she would fit perfectly against his chest. She smiled and turned around, grabbing a sapphire colored dress that wasn't too low cut, had elbow length sleeves, and went down to her knees, and underwear. She went to their bathroom, and took off her light night gown. She showered quickly, remembering that Draven had said he wanted to show her something today. She dried off and dressed. It took her a few more minutes to finish her morning routine, and she left the bathroom.

She walked back into her room, and saw that Draven was no longer on the bed. She walked towards it, and, when she reached the edge, felt a pair of arms snake around her waist from behind.

"Good morning . . ." He whispered in her ear. His breath scent shivers down her spine.

"What's so good about it?" she teased, as she leaned back into him. He turned her around so she could face him, and she crossed her arms, still teasing him.

"Well, you're here. That makes my day every day." She smiled in agreement. He brought one of his hands up to her face, brushing her cheek with his knuckles. Fiona closed her eyes, remembering the time he had healed her, and preparing for what always followed. He kissed her, and she responded without hesitation. She rested both her hands on his bare chest affectionately ( he slept in pants), and leaned into him. The hand that was on her face caressed her as it moved to the nape of her neck. The other arm wrapped around her tighter, pressing her to him. She slid her arms over his chest and shoulders, tangling her fingers in his hair, which was loose from the usual pony tail at the nape of his neck. She stood on her toes, deepening the kiss. His arms kept her up without any effort. They parted after a while, both of them breathing heavily. "Wait for me here, I'll be right back." He headed for their bathroom, taking a pair of pants, his boots, and a shirt with him. It took him half an hour to get ready.

While she waited, Fiona put on a pair of shoes, and combed her hair, opting to leave it loose. She was in front of the vanity when he came out. He was dressed the same as the first time she saw him. His hair was loosely pulled back, he wore a white shirt, similar pants to the first time, and boots.

"Are you ready?" She nodded, and stood. He offered her his hand and they left the room. They passed by Bella and William in one of that halls, and greeted them, letting them know that Draven wanted to show her something. They continued walking, until they came to a door that read 'DEATH'. Fiona was confused.

"I thought I wasn't allowed in this realm . . ."

"I'm the one who decides who's allowed in. I want to show you something." He opened the door, which acted as a portal. They came to a beautiful garden, where people of all ages seemed to be resting, peaceful. He continued to lead her through. No one paid them any mind. Fiona was amazed at the beauty of it all. Draven stopped and Fiona looked straight ahead, ready to faint. Standing before them were her parents.

"Mum . . .? Daddy . . .?" They just smiled at her. They were dressed the same as when they had died. Draven released her hand, signaling for her to go to them. She ran to where they were, embracing them tightly when she reached them. She was crying, as was her mother. Her father looked very happy. She finally pulled away. "I miss you both . . . so much."

"We know honey, we know."

"Fiona . . . I'm so sorry for what my past did to you . . . If there was any way . . ."

"No, dad, don't feel bad . . . Everything turned out ok. I'm happy, now." Her mother looked knowingly towards Draven, and Fiona felt herself blush. They spent a long time there, simply talking. The four of them sat on the grass, while Ugo explained his story. Fiona also explained everything that happened to them, Draven helping her every time it seemed to be affecting her and she was close to tears. He held her close while he explained, and her parents looked at them approvingly.

It was finally time for them to go back, and they exchanged warm good-byes. They walked back from where they came, and Fiona replayed everything in her mind. She realized exactly how much Draven loved her, and it made her love him even more. When they got back, they realized that they had spent the majority of their day there, and that the others were probably sleeping or in their afternoon training session. Fiona and Draven ate dinner by themselves, and went back to their room. Fiona had not spoken much, and they were now lying in bed, looking up at the canopy, deep in thought. She realized that she had not thanked him. She turned to look at him, and placed her head on his chest, and he wrapped an arm around her.

"Draven?"

"Yes, love?" The endearment had the same affect it always did.

"Thank you . . . You don't know how much it meant to me.'

"Don't worry about it. You can visit them when you want, just make sure I'm there with you."

"Why?"

"That portal can take you to any of the Death realms. I'm the only one who can control it. I wouldn't forgive myself if you go hurt."

"Ok . . ." They just lay there for a while, until Fiona found another question.

"Why did you do it?"

"Because . . . You didn't seem entirely happy. I love you, and I didn't want you to suffer. I'm sorry it took so long." The casual way he said it made Fiona feel completely warm inside. He turned on his side to look at her.

"It's ok." She kissed him lightly and closed her eyes, letting his warmth take her. He returned the kiss, glad that she was finally happy.

&&&&&&&&&

Alright, now for the thanks:

First and foremost, thank you to crazysheep(formerly known as disneysheep). As my beta reader, you kept me going. I know I was pushy, and I am grateful for the patience you showed me.

I'd also like to thank half-breed-demon-fox, who was my only loyal reviewer. She stopped reviewing after a while, but I still send her hugs for keeping me going in the beginning, before I had a beta reader.

And that's it. My first long fic, complete! YAY!

a/n: any questions you may have about anything that seems confusing, put it on the review and I'll make on more chap, answering them.


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